[18:05] All right. It's a full, it's a full house. We're gonna get started in a moment. We gotta make
[18:09] sure that all the walking aisles are completely clear. If there's an empty
[18:13] seat, take it or go along the wall. But all the aisles have to be completely
[18:18] clear before we start.
[18:39] all right, we're gonna go ahead and get started. Uh, thanks everyone for joining us for
[18:43] the june 9th meeting of the long beach city council. First meeting,
[18:47] uh, of this month. We were dark last week because it was election day,
[18:52] and we, that's a holiday in the city of long beach. And, uh, we want to thank
[18:56] everybody for getting out and exercising their rights to vote. Uh, and now we're gonna get
[19:00] back to the good business of the good city of long beach. Uh, now that that
[19:04] is over, uh, we're, we'll start with the pledge of allegiance
[19:08] by councilman councilwoman zendejas. Can we start
[19:12] with a roll call? I'm sorry, before we start with the pledge. Okay. We can do the roll call councilwoman
[19:17] zendejas. Do that too. Present. Councilman allen. Present. Council member duggan. Here.
[19:21] councilwoman kerr. Present council, uh, vice mayor
[19:26] uranga. What is that? Councilwoman thrash enuk. Here.
[19:30] uh, mayor richardson. Here we have a quorum. We have a quorum councilwoman zendejas.
[19:34] moment of silence. Pledge of allegiance. Thank you. If everyone would join me in
[19:38] a moment of silence, um, keeping in our
[19:43] minds and our thoughts, our nonprofits throughout
[19:47] the city of long beach, our nonprofits do incredible work
[19:51] here in the city of long beach, um, and are the boots on the
[19:56] ground. And so if we could keep them, um, in our thoughts in a moment
[20:00] of silence for strength and continued funding for them
[20:04] to do the work that they, uh, so gracefully do.
[20:16] thank you for those that can, if you could please stand up and join me for
[20:20] the plea pledge of allegiance.
[20:27] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america,
[20:32] and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under
[20:36] god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for.
[20:47] all right. Well, thank you councilwoman. So we have a full agenda today.
[20:51] we have two presentations. We're gonna clo report out from closed session. Then
[20:55] we'll handle consent, calendar and public comment. And then we have, uh,
[20:59] uh, a number of, uh, items with a lot of,
[21:03] um, people here for those items. So we be patient. 'cause we gotta work through all of
[21:08] them. Uh, so we're gonna go ahead and get started with our first presentation. It is
[21:12] gun violence awareness week. Uh, if you wanna thank everyone for wearing their orange from gun
[21:16] violence awareness, uh, we have a presentation. We're gonna go to councilwoman,
[21:20] um, councilwoman allen to kick off the presentation.
[21:27] alright. Uh, thank you mayor. June is violence awareness month, and
[21:31] it's a time to recognize the devastating impact that gun violence
[21:35] has on families survivors and, uh, communities across
[21:40] long beach and throughout the country. Last friday,
[21:44] june 5th, uh, we were joined by memorial care
[21:48] and I know there is a photo that should be, uh, coming up here pretty soon,
[21:52] um, by the fire department, the police department and community
[21:56] partners, and recognizing, uh, gun violence awareness month.
[22:00] so I really appreciate all of those that showed up,
[22:05] um, wearing, uh, their orange. Um, this
[22:09] observance serves as a reminder that gun violence is not just
[22:13] a statistic, it's a deeply personal and preventable crisis.
[22:19] today we are grateful to be, uh, joined,
[22:23] um, by some folks who will be raising awareness through education
[22:27] and community engagement. We are especially thankful for
[22:31] our partners at memorial care for joining us and sharing their experience.
[22:36] um, so I'm going to welcome you up 'cause I know
[22:41] that you have a, uh, presentation and a stop the bleed
[22:45] demonstration discussing how community members can take action in
[22:49] critical moments and, uh, and before first responders
[22:54] are there. So thank you for being here today. Alright,
[22:58] thank you. We have just, just under five minutes for the presentation. Okay. Alright, well
[23:02] thank you and good afternoon. Uh, thank you for the opportunity to be here.
[23:06] I am edna transiton, the trauma program manager and rn.
[23:11] I'm joined by sydney, our, uh, trauma injury prevention coordinator
[23:15] and eliana bender, rn and trauma performance improvement
[23:20] coordinator from memorial care, long beach medical center and miller
[23:24] children's and women's hospital. We appreciate the opportunity to
[23:28] present stop the bleed, a life-saving program that teaches people
[23:33] how to respond to severe bleeding in an emergency.
[23:37] these skills are just as, as essential as cpr.
[23:41] and with that, sydney will share more about the training and its
[23:45] impact to our community. Is this for
[23:49] the slides or does someone else do the slides
[23:56] for the slides? Okay. Sorry. Okay. So my name is sydney again. Um,
[24:00] we teach a class, um, called stop the bleed. Um, basically teaches
[24:05] the community how to control bleeding before ems arrives.
[24:09] so in long beach, it takes about eight minutes for ems to arrive. Uh,
[24:13] once 9 1 1 is called an adult can bleed out from a severe
[24:18] traumatic injury within five minutes. So those times don't really
[24:22] add up. And we need to empower the community with these simple steps
[24:26] that we will walk through right now. Um, so bleeding can
[24:30] happen anywhere. Um, really any activity, um,
[24:34] random accidents can happen. Um, that's why we're a trauma center and we're happy to help
[24:38] you on your worst day. Um, so our
[24:42] first step is to ensure that the scene is safe, that you're not gonna become
[24:47] a victim as well. Um, and then to alert 9 1 1 in california,
[24:51] you can also text 9 1 1 if it's a hostage situation or
[24:55] domestic violence situation. Um, so that's an option as well.
[25:00] and then we're gonna move on to the manual steps. Um, and
[25:04] edna and eliana will be demonstrating them. So maybe go
[25:08] in the middle so people can see . So our first step
[25:12] is kind of like when we do cpr, we're gonna do our hands palm over palm, and we're
[25:16] gonna press down on the wound with a t-shirt, a towel, whatever we
[25:21] have. Don't matter if it's dirty, we're gonna put that on the wound and press as hard as we
[25:25] can. Not like cpr when you're pumping, but just holding that pressure. And you're
[25:29] gonna hold that until, uh, 9 1 1, uh, comes or ems
[25:33] comes, or, uh, more help arrives. Second step, if the
[25:37] wound is really, really deep, maybe a gunshot wound or a big laceration,
[25:41] we actually have to push that t-shirt inside the wound because I
[25:46] know it's gonna be painful and uncomfortable. But, um, that's how we stop
[25:50] the bleeding from the inside. And then again, apply the pressure. The person's gonna be in pain,
[25:54] uncomfortable. We have to reassure them that this is gonna save their life. If
[25:58] you don't do this, they could die. Third and final step, if we have
[26:02] a limb injury, so arms or legs, we can use a tourniquet. We
[26:06] could also use a belt or a, a pair of jeans, something
[26:10] that's not stretchy. But a tourniquet is a fancy tool, um, that, uh,
[26:15] ems, um, and the hospital have and as well
[26:19] as police, um, that controls the bleeding and tightens, um,
[26:23] kind of turns off the blood supply like a, a hose, um, turning off
[26:27] a hose. So we're gonna apply it, twist that bar
[26:31] there, and then we're hoping to stop the bleeding going down towards the,
[26:36] the rest of the limb because we wanna sh uh, kind of move the blood back towards
[26:40] the heart and the important organs. And again, we do all of this
[26:44] and keep it, keep whatever we're doing on until, um, help arrives.
[26:51] and then the only thing more tragic than a death is a death that could have been prevented.
[26:56] so we hope we empowered you with some information. Um, we do teach the class
[27:00] for free. We've been to almost all of the high schools and long beach
[27:04] unified, and we're hoping to get into the rest of them and we're happy to come to
[27:08] any business or, uh, school. Um, and then
[27:13] edna, you wanna talk about this? Sure.
[27:17] uh, we provided stop the lead education at cabrillo high
[27:22] school, long beach poly, um, jordan high school,
[27:26] and several other schools in, uh, and around the city of
[27:30] long beach. Uh, we also teach violence intervention and prevention,
[27:35] gun violence awareness and prevention, human trafficking awareness and prevention
[27:39] and firework and burn safety education, especially now since the
[27:43] 4th of july is coming up. Well, thank you very much for, uh, for
[27:47] doing this today. We really appreciate it. I know what you're doing is saving lives
[27:52] and, uh, I know that people were, were actively listening, so thank you so much for that.
[27:56] thank you. And thanks for that demonstration.
[28:00] I was wondering if you could do that demonstration in, um, in that short
[28:04] period of time, but you saved a life in like less than five minutes. So thank you so much. Let's
[28:08] hear for long beach memorial memorial care.
[28:15] and I know you want to, you want a picture? You wanna do it now or you wanna do it with the big group
[28:19] next? Um, it's up to you mayor. Okay. Maybe we do it together. Everyone's
[28:23] got their orange. We can do it together later. Alright, our next presentation is one long beach
[28:27] violence prevention, uh, uh, initiative. And we're gonna go to councilwoman th
[28:31] thrash inuk. Thank you so much, mayor. Um, and thank you to my colleague,
[28:36] uh, councilwoman cindy. I really appreciate us being able to have this all
[28:40] today. 'cause I think it's so fitting, given that june is violence prevention
[28:44] and certainly gun violence prevention awareness month. Um, I'm
[28:49] here wearing my orange. I wanna thank all who are in the audience today,
[28:53] uh, who are also wearing their orange. But also that tells me that you
[28:57] all are part of the ambassadors that are out in our communities every
[29:01] day on the front lines, uh, working to ensure that young people,
[29:05] um, and all throughout our community understand that there are all alternatives and that
[29:10] we want peace in our communities. Uh, today's presentation will
[29:14] be led by central cha. Um, and earlier today, we had the chance to honor
[29:18] more than 20 organizations who are part of the one long beach community
[29:22] violence intervention and prevention initiative. Um, this,
[29:26] uh, report that you'll present today, um, certainly is a culmination
[29:30] of years of work, um, in some cases decades. Um, and we
[29:34] know, uh, as we continue with our council meeting going forward, um, we look
[29:39] forward to identifying ways and strategies to continue, uh, this work.
[29:43] at this time, I'd like to ask central cha if they would come forward. Um, I
[29:47] believe cindy will give, um, the today's presentation. Thank you.
[29:58] and then just to confirm, how much time? Uh, five minutes.
[30:02] okay. Okay. Good evening, honorable mayor and council members. My name is cindy
[30:06] sagun, cvi programs manager at centro cha. I was born and raised in
[30:10] the sixth district, and now proudly res, proudly reside in the eighth district.
[30:14] on behalf of one long, uh, the one long beach collaborative, I want to acknowledge councilwoman
[30:19] ua thresh untuck for her leadership commitment to uplifting frontline organizations
[30:24] and continue partnership. We also thank her for recognizing
[30:28] the critical role of community-based organizations play in addressing community
[30:32] needs, building trust, advancing, um, public safety and wellbeing.
[30:37] we also want to thank all the council members. Um, we did reach out to all of council,
[30:41] um, to meet about this report. So we extend our gratitude to council districts 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
[30:49] the mayor's office and our city manager's office. The one long beach
[30:53] collaborative brings together more than 30, um, community organizations, institutions,
[30:58] agencies, advocates, researchers and residents to advance coordinated community led
[31:03] approach to, um, to violence prevention and long-term public safety in
[31:07] long beach. Central chow has been doing this year for decades, and, um,
[31:11] reestablished the one long beach collaborative in 2023, which strengthens
[31:15] the cross sector alignment through the doj um, grant provided through
[31:19] the biden and harris administration. Um,
[31:23] as rocha being the lead agency since 2023, has distributed
[31:28] $2 million in capacity building to support organizations with the
[31:32] collaborative by subcontracting local, local, county state
[31:37] philanthropic dollars to fund and strengthen co community-based
[31:41] violence prevention, intervention, youth development, victim services, workforce development
[31:45] and healing efforts. The collaborative focuses on prevention,
[31:50] capacity building, resident engagement, and data informed strategies centered on community
[31:54] leadership and lived experience. In april, 2025, the federal,
[31:58] um, the federal doj cuts impacted our local cbi
[32:02] efforts. Underscoring the need for sustained diversified investment
[32:06] in community safety structure. The one long beach collaborative
[32:11] recognizes community safety as a collective responsibility. Our action plan was developed
[32:15] by and for the community through deep collaboration, grounded
[32:19] in lived experience of those impacted most by violence.
[32:24] more than 2000 residents participated through a multi, uh, lingual
[32:28] citywide survey, community listening sessions in priority neighborhoods
[32:32] and focus groups with individuals impacted by violence and vulnerable populations.
[32:36] this ensures that the community violence and centered, um, the community voice is centered
[32:40] in the 2025 long beach safety roadmap report.
[32:47] findings from the survey and the listen sessions and focus groups highlighted key priorities,
[32:51] including expanding awareness of victim services, addressing the gaps in reporting and
[32:56] trust, increasing investment in high needs areas,
[33:00] strengthening youth and violence prevention programs, expanding trauma informed
[33:04] services, removing employment barriers to for justice involved residents, addressing
[33:08] poverty and disinvestment, creating safe spaces for vulnerable workers,
[33:13] re building the trust between law enforcement and community.
[33:21] the community action plan recognizes a long term standing investment and programming.
[33:26] as councilwoman tena mentioned in violence prevention dating back to the
[33:30] 1960s. While many efforts have been impacted and, um, impactful
[33:34] and community driven, they have often been short termed and limited
[33:39] by the lack of sustained funding after initial investment
[33:43] ends. Our data for this report comes from the long beach police
[33:47] department, the us department of justice, probation, and parole data policy
[33:51] map, gis systems, and the us census bureau demographic and socioeconomic
[33:56] data. Violent crime between 2022
[34:00] to 2023 was concentrated in central west and north long beach
[34:04] with the highest incidents in the south division, followed by the west and north division.
[34:08] while the city has reported, um, an overall decline in violence in recent years,
[34:13] lived experience in historically impacted neighborhoods remain significant.
[34:17] with long beach experiencing a a 20 days of violence in may of 2026
[34:22] alone, youth and emerging adults make up significant
[34:26] portion of the long beach population and are heavily concentrated in neighborhoods of 9 0 8 0 5 9 0 8 0 6 9 0 8 10
[34:32] and 9 0 8 13. Overall opportunity safety. Um, opportunity
[34:37] and safety challenges are concentrated in the same neighborhoods impacted by violence, understanding
[34:41] the need for sustained investment in education, workforce
[34:46] pathways, youth, um, development, and place-based violence prevention strategies.
[34:52] um, to move on community violence, um, must be
[34:56] grounded in lived experience. As justice involved residents are, um, concentrated in
[35:01] the same neighborhoods most impacted by violence. A comp comprehensive
[35:05] approach is needed that expands youth development, strengthens reentry and workforce
[35:09] services, and invest in economic opportunity for the most impacted neighborhoods.
[35:17] our community action plan outlines nationally recognized cvi best
[35:21] practices, including summer violence reduction initiatives, safe passages, community
[35:25] intervention workers, and credible messages, hospital based violence prevention, intervention,
[35:30] violence intervention, youth diversion, and reentry services and youth development.
[35:34] these strategies prevent violence before it occurs. Interrupts the cycle of
[35:38] retaliation and connected and connect individuals to trusted services,
[35:42] support and opportunity to reduce
[35:47] community violence in the city of long beach. Um, long beach must invest
[35:51] in coordinated long-term, um, strategy rooted in
[35:56] solutions. Um, we acknowledge that the city has led up multiple efforts
[36:00] to their, um, their institution, their institutions.
[36:04] but it is important to recognize that we're doing cvi as a best practice. It does have
[36:08] to be a bottom up approach led through the community voice.
[36:13] the long beach progress depends on the sustained investment in a holistic community-based
[36:18] strategies that prioritize the community most impacted by violence.
[36:22] local and state leaders must help offset federal funding cuts by increasing
[36:26] support, support and investment, while philanthropic partners also help
[36:30] diversify resources. The city should also continue advocating for the
[36:34] restore restoration and expansion of federal cvi, uh, c-v-I-p-I
[36:39] funding. Ultimately, sustaining progress requires long-term investment.
[36:43] without it, the communities remain at risk. As many public health and
[36:47] violence prevention frameworks, um, remind us safety
[36:52] is not simply the absence of violence, but the presence of justice,
[36:56] opportunity and conditions for people to thrive. This report
[37:01] reflects lived experience of community members and the data of firms, what residents
[37:05] have long said. The question now is not what we know. It,
[37:09] it is what we choose to do about it. We urge the city to adopt the report
[37:14] and partner with the one long beach to expand and sustain ccb, the cbi ecosystem.
[37:19] thank you. Community violence saves lives. The only decision left is whether
[37:23] we invest in what works. If you would like to read the report, there's the qr code.
[37:27] and then if you would like to connect with the long one long beach, we also have the email there. Thank you. All right, well,
[37:31] let's hear it for the one long beach coalition.
[37:37] thank you so much.
[37:42] so this is what it's about. It's not about the city
[37:47] or just the police or the firefighters. It's about all of our community members
[37:51] taking responsibility for violence, which is preventable. And
[37:55] we are a public health city. We, we have been for a century, and we
[37:59] believe that violence is a public health crisis and all lives have dignity and
[38:03] it's all of our responsibility. So we have to work together. Um,
[38:08] you know, we know we've seen some progress in recent years. That's only because we work together in
[38:12] the community. Summertime is coming in. Communities like ours, we know
[38:16] that summertime typically in communities, diverse communities like ours,
[38:21] big cities like ours, we typically see elevated violence in those
[38:25] periods of time. But we also know we have some momentum the last few, couple summers.
[38:29] we've actually seen some of the safer summers in five years because we work together.
[38:33] let's continue that momentum through this summer. So we wanna thank everybody for coming out. We're
[38:37] gonna invite you behind the rail, uh, to take one big photo, uh,
[38:41] with the folks in the orange. Um, that's what I have on my list. The council members don't
[38:46] need that. 'cause you did it in the lobby. Didn't say. So we,
[38:50] this photo. Okay, great. All right. So we're gonna, we're gonna invite folks back behind the rail. I'm
[38:54] gonna ask the council members to stay back here, create as much space. We'll stand up behind the rail. Alright,
[38:58] uh, shauna montserrat, let's facilitate this. Come on up for your photo.
[42:58] alright, thank you. Let's start the city council meeting repo report out from closed session please.
[43:03] thank you, mayor. We have one item to report from closed session. We have, uh, settled
[43:08] the matter of a state of caesar rodriguez versus the city of long beach
[43:12] for a total of $1 million. The vote was 8 2 0 and
[43:16] cd four um, was absent tonight. So they did not participate. Alright. That
[43:20] was down from, what was the last report? What was the last report I report
[43:24] out on that? That was the vote on the settlement. Yeah, boy, you said down from the
[43:28] million was down from 15, uh, 12.2 12 down to one.
[43:32] that's a good job. Thank you for that. Um, alright,
[43:37] now we're gonna go to consent calendar items one through 30. Uh, there's request to
[43:41] hold back. Item 26.
[43:47] alright, we have one member of the public signed up to speak. Uh, fb
[43:52] is fb here.
[43:57] fb going once fb going twice. All right. Members, please
[44:01] cast your vote on consent calendar.
[44:15] councilwoman rick sodi.
[44:19] motion is carried. Alright, we'll go to item 26. Report
[44:23] from library arts and culture recommendation to execute an agreement and any necessary amendments
[44:27] with the long beach city college district to provide internship opportunities for lbcc
[44:32] students with the library arts and culture department citywide. All right, there's a recusal.
[44:37] yes, mr. Mayor, I'll need to recuse myself from item 26 out of an abundance
[44:41] of caution. I may have a personal conflict regarding this matter due to a family
[44:45] relationship with lbcc.
[45:03] all right, members, please cast your vote.
[45:10] motion is carried. All right, now we're going to general public comment.
[45:20] okay. I see three members
[45:24] of the public signed up to speak. Gordon cardona,
[45:28] wind, silk, and, uh, elizabeth lamb.
[45:34] if you heard your name, please make your way to the front.
[45:47] hello, my name is gordon. Just just a moment. Let's, let's, we're gonna adjust
[45:51] the microphone for you. I'm long time resident of long beach and I use a power chair.
[45:56] I take public transportation to places including the long beach circuit.
[46:01] I have friends who use wheelchairs who accompany me.
[46:06] I have used circuit many times to get to places and the
[46:10] driver rack is very nice and helpful. However,
[46:14] in the wheelchair accessible vehicle, there is only once base for a passenger
[46:18] with a wheelchair. Many times I have friends
[46:23] in wheelchairs who would like to accompany me in the circuit vehicle,
[46:27] but they are unable to. So we have to travel
[46:31] separately. And this takes more time. We would like to recommend
[46:35] that a seat be removed from the vehicle to accommodate a second person
[46:39] in a wheelchair. This will also save time and
[46:43] fuel by taking one trip instead of two separate trips.
[46:48] also, there would be still be space for three to four ambulatory
[46:52] people in the vehicle. I have emailed the city of long
[46:56] beach and the a da coordinator of few times last
[47:00] year. But to nova veil summer is almost here. And
[47:04] we would like to travel together like our ambulatory peers.
[47:09] that's a good point. The city buses can accommodate two people who use wheelchairs.
[47:14] why can't the circuit do the same for the residents in wheelchairs?
[47:20] thank you very much. Thank you for your
[47:24] testimony. Thank.
[47:35] alright, when, hi everybody, I'll try to be as articulate
[47:40] as all those who have gone before me, but, um, this is a little bit intimidating.
[47:44] I'm here basically because of the military drill
[47:49] that occurred, um, at the golden sales hotel on pacific
[47:53] coast highway near loins avenue thursday night.
[47:57] um, I like to appreciate christina duggan, my councilwoman.
[48:02] sorry I'm a little emotional. Um,
[48:10] I received your email at 6 42 on thursday night,
[48:14] and I was so startled by what I heard
[48:19] because where I live, belmont store mobile estates is immediately
[48:23] adjacent. Um, or not. There's a parking lot in between golden sales
[48:27] hotel and this, uh, belmont shore mobile estate, which is
[48:31] a retirement community of people 55 years or older,
[48:36] many of whom are in wheelchairs or walkers or otherwise,
[48:40] uh, debilitated. And we were, uh, startled
[48:45] by the sound of rapid fire from blackhawk
[48:49] helicopters, uh, at seven o'clock at night.
[48:54] the only notice I had was christina's email. And luckily
[48:58] I saw it. I called her office. They were very efficient. I got a call back from nick
[49:02] casper, um, saying they had no knowledge of this. They
[49:06] were not informed about it. They had no control over it. And nonetheless
[49:10] it happened. And the, the trauma,
[49:15] you know, we've talked about gun violence. I've never been in a
[49:20] situation of actual being shot at. But I have to
[49:24] tell you that when you are in even
[49:28] a simulated environment where there is a black hawk helicopter
[49:33] rapidly firing at a building without
[49:37] any knowledge of what the reason they're, why they're there,
[49:41] what they're trying to accomplish. Um, and then to have
[49:45] it followed by the noise of battering rams and men repelling
[49:50] off of rooftops and, you know, trying to blast into
[49:54] an abandoned hotel, you know, and all the residents coming out
[49:58] into the, the street and saying, what is going on here? Oh, it's
[50:02] a drill. Okay, well,
[50:06] all right. So we got through that. It lasted for
[50:10] a couple of hours, then by about 10 30 it started to subside.
[50:15] and so I managed to fall asleep. Uh, so what do
[50:20] I hear at 12:45 am a black hawk helicopter
[50:24] hovering over my house, shaking the walls, shaking
[50:28] the roof, shot me outta bed.
[50:33] what is going on here? Why are we experiencing this?
[50:37] we had no control apparently in the city over it because they
[50:42] didn't, the military didn't communicate with anybody. Ma'am, your times concluded.
[50:47] if you want me to conclude, go ahead and finish your thought. I'm concluded. Okay. It can't happen again.
[50:51] yeah, you gotta fix, you gotta figure out a way to make this stop. Mm-hmm
[50:56] . 'cause it can happen in any of your districts. Mm-hmm .
[51:00] thank you. Thank you. Alright,
[51:04] our final speaker please.
[51:09] so, um, my name's elizabeth lamb. I'm executive director of
[51:13] the los rtos wetlands land trust. And I'm here to talk on the
[51:18] same topic to say a few words about the recent military
[51:22] exercises above and adjacent to los cerrita wetlands. There is,
[51:26] of course, and there should be great community concern about the human impacts
[51:30] of those exercises on the people who live in those adjacent neighborhoods.
[51:35] not to mention people with ptsd or other sorts of trauma, but
[51:39] I think it's important to take a moment to talk about the environmental impacts
[51:43] of these operations, specifically on the fragile habitat
[51:48] of the los cerrito wetlands. If you look at the footage posted on
[51:52] social media, you see large helicopters, apparently black hawk
[51:56] helicopters hovering above the wetlands, and then landing in the golden
[52:00] parking lot where there appear to be flash bangs and I'm
[52:04] guessing, um, exercises in urban warfare.
[52:09] so it's spring right now, it's currently nesting season right now. And
[52:13] there are several threatened and sensitive species out in the wetlands, and
[52:17] including the building savanna sparrow, the least turn, and the wandering
[52:21] skipper butterfly, all that rely on the los rita wetlands to
[52:25] survive operations such as those we have witnessed interfere
[52:30] with these species breeding behavior. Due to the noise and the vibrations
[52:34] from these military operations, these species are already
[52:38] imperiled and struggle to reproduce because the vast majority of their habitat
[52:43] has been lost forever to development and infrastructure. Thus, these actions
[52:47] have caused significance, disturbance and harm. Steam shovel
[52:51] slew is one of the most pristine remaining wetlands in southern california. It
[52:55] is just a few yards from where these exercises took place. Steam
[52:59] shovels slough is a hydromorph relic and a one of a kind heritage
[53:04] land preserved from the years past. There are a few areas like it.
[53:08] steam shovels slough is so unique that it serves as a reference site for
[53:12] restoring nearby wetland, such as edr marsh. When you impact fragile
[53:16] lands like that, there's no way really to mitigate it. I understand that
[53:21] this was not a city sanctioned activity, and I understand that the federal government
[53:25] supersedes the local authority. So I'm not here to complain about any actions on
[53:29] the part of the city, but I thought it important that people be aware that there were not
[53:33] only human actions, but also actions to the natural world
[53:37] and, and harm to the natural world that these exercises caused. I wanna
[53:41] sincerely thank christina duggan's office for their great communication. Um,
[53:46] but I also, as you are all stewards of the natural resources of
[53:50] long beach, wanted you to know about the harm to the environment that was done
[53:54] on that night. So thank you for your time. Thank you, elizabeth.
[54:03] now, before we move on, I just want to acknowledge, um, uh, the public comment,
[54:08] uh, what took place in long beach and in pasadena and many of
[54:12] these cities, it's not normal. It's not okay. No communities should
[54:16] have to deal with these exercises in their communities. I want to recognize,
[54:20] uh, council member duggan. Uh, we, we learned about it at the same time, the
[54:25] very day and, uh, her communication. I wanna lift up, uh,
[54:29] our city manager, his communications in that moment. We wish there was something
[54:33] more that we could do in that moment. Um, uh, but I will
[54:37] tell you the federal government and the federal agencies, we are expressing our,
[54:41] our concerns about the lack of notice. I understand operational considerations and
[54:45] all of that, but this is a neighborhood. These are not, this is not a war zone.
[54:49] and no one should have to deal or be, be, uh, exposed to those, uh, types
[54:53] of circumstances in our communities. We have to think about our residents, our children, our
[54:58] veterans, our pets and wildlife. We are a community and it leaves an impact
[55:02] on us. And so we will be expressing, um, we've already expressed some
[55:06] concerns. We're gonna continue to express our concerns about this. Uh, and long beach
[55:10] is not the only impacted community. There were a number of communities that have received these,
[55:14] um, uh, these exercises over the past few weeks. Uh, but
[55:18] thank you. That concludes public comment. We're gonna, uh, now get going with, um,
[55:23] the city council agenda. We're gonna take item 38
[55:27] report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to execute all documents
[55:31] necessary for a second amendment to agreement with meet the long meet
[55:35] long beach, to provide a marketing program for conventions and tourism,
[55:39] and to support economic development initiatives in the amount of 4,608,676,
[55:46] and to execute all documents necessary to amend the agreement citywide.
[55:52] alright, well, uh, mr. Moka, did you have anything to say before we go to the presentation?
[55:59] um, yes. So, uh, I believe there'll be, uh, some presentation from,
[56:03] uh, uh, visit long beach. Uh, but, uh, we've had a an incredible partnership with
[56:07] this, uh, organization for many, many years. Um, what we're looking to do here is, uh,
[56:12] memorialize that into a longer term contract, uh, and, uh, recognize that
[56:16] this is, uh, a really beneficial, uh, uh, relationship between, uh, both of us.
[56:20] uh, this group really does do a lot of that long-term thinking on our behalf and bringing
[56:24] in conferences often multi-year in advance. Uh, and so, uh,
[56:28] uh, we are recommending here that we, uh, memorialize, I memorialize that for
[56:32] a little bit longer, uh, than we typically have in the past in order to create that, uh, that longer term
[56:37] vision and, uh, look forward to hearing from them, uh, I think you'll be impressed with all the work that
[56:41] they've done on our behalf. So, um, um, with that, we're available for presentation.
[56:45] alright, well, uh, come on up. Uh, steve, mr. Goodling,
[56:50] you know, I have to say, um, what, what visit
[56:54] long beach and meet long beach have accomplished in the past few years, post pandemic has been incredibly
[56:58] astounding to be, uh, one of the leading convention
[57:02] centers and destinations. Um, and to have that sort of turnaround
[57:07] take place, uh, needs to be recognized. But I think in how we've
[57:11] come back and how we've recovered in a way that's redefined our city and leaned
[57:15] into new branding and, and highlighting the experience
[57:20] in long beach, the vibe in long beach, uh, has really resonated very well with convention
[57:24] goers. I'll tell you firsthand, we just wrapped up the us conference of mayors, I'm
[57:28] sure you're probably gonna talk about it. This is a conference that goes, you know, one city once
[57:32] a year and it's very competitive. And the feedback we've received from the
[57:36] experience here in long beach was that, you know, this, this was the best
[57:40] since pre pandemic years and to, to many, it was the best conference they they'd ever seen
[57:45] in our, in our community. So, uh, I think as we prepare for 2028
[57:49] and we have to think more long term and olympics and all of those things, I think changing the
[57:53] contract in this way to think a little bit more long term makes a whole lot of sense. Uh, but that
[57:57] said, let's go to your presentation. I know you have a lot of people here who have to get, uh, to other
[58:01] places. There are a number of big items. So, uh, let's get to the presentation. Alright, thank you mayor.
[58:06] uh, also thank you city manager and to the council, thanks to
[58:10] all of you. There's this past
[58:15] week, as the mayor said, we had a phenomenal week and we were privileged to
[58:19] host the us conference of mayors. And with that, we
[58:23] had 1200 people here, but it was more than just 1200. We had 200
[58:27] mayors and they were from major cities such as atlanta and
[58:31] denver and philadelphia and miami
[58:36] and kansas city and minneapolis. In addition,
[58:40] governor newsom came down to talk with the group. Uh, governor pritzker
[58:44] flew in from chicago to talk with the group, and so long
[58:48] beach was on a world stage this past week.
[58:53] with that, we wanna share with you a really great
[58:57] video, which I think encapsulates everything that
[59:01] occurred. These, over these four days,
[59:16] aristotle sound.
[59:54] maybe pause the video until the sound gets worked out. You wanna spoil your video?
[59:58] wanna mess up your moment? Well, there's another one coming up. So, but let me just talk
[1:00:02] about while they're getting the sound up. Uh, thur, thursday
[1:00:06] night was a great opening night, and it was basically the beach party at the lighthouse.
[1:00:12] and then friday was the aquarium of the pacific. And then
[1:00:16] saturday, of course, was the concert and the final party on
[1:00:20] the queen mary. And so these mayors got to appreciate
[1:00:25] and understand exactly what our community offered.
[1:00:29] in addition, uh, mary, we'd like to thank you for raising the funds
[1:00:33] so that we could showcase long beach correctly. And
[1:00:37] also all the mayors got welcome gifts that went with vibe city.
[1:00:42] so it looks like I'm not gonna get it. Just let me know when we're up with sound guys, I'm gonna keep going
[1:00:46] on. Yeah, go ahead. So, so with
[1:00:51] that, and I do want to go back to the videos, but at this point, uh,
[1:00:56] can I move on to
[1:01:01] okay. Does the other video work?
[1:01:09] okay.
[1:01:14] okay, lauren, just go back to the original one.
[1:01:34] the anticipation is building. It's worth it. It's a great video.
[1:01:51] all
[1:02:40] premiumbeat
[1:03:13] premiumbeat com.
[1:03:28] premiumbeat com.
[1:03:55] so,
[1:04:00] so those were the evening events that the mayors enjoyed as well as the conference. But
[1:04:04] sunday morning, this was the best. A mayor out of minneapolis who
[1:04:09] basically heads up the transportation sector for the us conference
[1:04:13] of mayors put together this little rhyme. Mayor of
[1:04:17] edina, james hoveland, chair of the transportation committee. Yeah,
[1:04:21] thank you mr. Chair. Uh, just, you know, I was inspired by what we'd, we'd
[1:04:25] we'd experienced here in long beach and I just couldn't resist this morning. Uh, and this is
[1:04:29] just a 20 minute effort, but I just wanna say long beach vibe city showed
[1:04:33] itself off real pretty, especially on snoop dogg night.
[1:04:37] it was a rocking hip hop time with a lot of rhyme appreciated by even
[1:04:42] an old midwestern mayor passed his prime .
[1:04:50] all that singing left my ears still ringing by the time I got to the queen mary.
[1:04:54] she's a grand old ship, still remarkably hip. And the best of all, you could still stand
[1:04:59] on the deck and feel the vibe across the water at amphitheater hall.
[1:05:03] so a hardy thanks to mayor rex for the best of times in the beach,
[1:05:08] the vibe, the jive, the people so alive with all that goodwill they showed us
[1:05:12] is town's a special place. And it showed its best face for the last five days
[1:05:16] to us all. Thank you mayor.
[1:05:22] mayor, that was not chat gt mayor holin dropping bars and that, and
[1:05:26] that was not chat gpt, that was the old mayor's head then about 20 minutes.
[1:05:30] so, so anyway, here we go. And he just left. You
[1:05:34] could have discovered mayor of .
[1:05:38] so I think the mayor summed it up beautifully, uh,
[1:05:42] better than I could. And the reality is, is we heard every day
[1:05:46] for four days how friendly the people were in our city, how
[1:05:51] accommodating how aggressive they were in
[1:05:55] terms of hospitality. And honestly,
[1:05:59] the mayors kept saying, we, we don't get this in our city.
[1:06:04] and so I'd like to just take a moment and thank, because
[1:06:08] I've done this for a very long time in hotels
[1:06:13] in cities. And the reality is, is I've never seen
[1:06:17] an entire city come together like the city of long beach
[1:06:21] did for this event. Tasha day, it's her group at special events.
[1:06:26] tom modic, the city manager and his team, uh, the mayor's
[1:06:31] team and the convention center team
[1:06:35] and the hotel team and the queen mary and harbor
[1:06:39] breeze getting our thousand mayors and delegates over and back.
[1:06:43] and my team at meet and visit everyone put their heart into
[1:06:47] this and arturo's behind me, but he's our vp of sales. And
[1:06:51] arturo says, steve, it was like working with the all stars
[1:06:56] and it was everyone was at their top, at their peak.
[1:07:01] and mayor we did it because we wanted to showcase long beach
[1:07:05] correctly. Second part,
[1:07:09] mayor, when you asked us to go after this, it
[1:07:13] was a tall order. 'cause it's, you can't go hunting and not come back with
[1:07:17] something, right? And this gentleman
[1:07:21] and our sales team came back with the win and we won the bid.
[1:07:26] so again, thanks to our hotels, our convention center partners
[1:07:30] to help us bring this here. But not only did we bring it here, but
[1:07:34] then we execute it. And barry,
[1:07:38] you provided the vision of what you wanted them to experience because you've gone to these conferences,
[1:07:43] you know what they were looking for. We went with you, but you had
[1:07:47] a different lens. And so all of us
[1:07:51] were pleased to be able to do this, but you helped bring it
[1:07:56] here just like you've helped us with other conventions. In
[1:08:00] addition, the opening saturday night of the amphitheater
[1:08:04] was off the richter scale. I love sitting up
[1:08:08] in the bleachers, to be honest with you. 'cause I got to see the whole city, the queen mary
[1:08:12] and everything. And that is exactly what we need.
[1:08:17] I would, any day of the week go to the long beach amphitheater
[1:08:21] versus anything else in the area. And even,
[1:08:25] even with our traffic challenges, they still were minute compared to
[1:08:29] other destinations. And so thank you from
[1:08:34] our behalf of our tourism community, our hotel community, our
[1:08:38] restaurants, because this is yet another avenue
[1:08:42] for us to bring people into the city. And I know the council, you all
[1:08:46] had to vote on this city management. You had to work on making the finances work. And
[1:08:51] honestly, again, you guys all work collectively
[1:08:55] and were the beneficiaries of it. So thank you for all of that.
[1:09:00] now we got more good news. I'm gonna have arturo share that with you. Arturo,
[1:09:06] mr. Mayor, mr. Mayor, city manager,
[1:09:10] council members. I wanted to share how we continue to outperform our competitors.
[1:09:15] one example of course is anime. All of you know, anime as a pop
[1:09:19] culture convention that comes to long beach every year in january. We've been very
[1:09:23] fortunate to have them as our clients since 2022. But in early 2025,
[1:09:28] our competitor next to us at los angeles saw a declining convention business. So
[1:09:32] they decided to go after our com, our, our clients here, and they aggressively pursued
[1:09:36] them. They offered them flat rates for four years. They offer 'em compar
[1:09:40] rental for a four year period. So they really went after them. But what they didn't count
[1:09:44] on, what our competitor didn't encounter was the relationship that we've created with these partners,
[1:09:48] right? And that's what makes that culture and our culture thrive.
[1:09:53] and mr. Mayor, as you put it best one time when you said if it moves culture, it moves through
[1:09:57] long beach. And that held through, that held true and true through them. So after
[1:10:01] some negotiations with the leadership there, they recognized that their home was long beach
[1:10:06] and we're able to secure them for four years, an additional four years. So
[1:10:10] we're very fortunate to have them in the future as well. The second example I'd like
[1:10:14] to, to talk about is archdiocese. So we recently signed contracts
[1:10:18] with archdiocese. They've, they're a face based, face based organization,
[1:10:23] faith-based organization that has been in an anaheim for 57 years.
[1:10:27] next year it'll be their 58th year. So almost, uh, six decades.
[1:10:32] but what happened was that anaheim was treating 'em as a transaction, was treating
[1:10:36] 'em as something that they thought they was gonna come back year over year. They never gave any thought
[1:10:40] about really investing in the relationship. When the opportunity presented
[1:10:44] itself, we approached them with a partnership with, uh, the third party,
[1:10:49] and we decided to go after the business again. And through the course of several months, we
[1:10:53] created trust. We showed them that they were valued. And again, they're
[1:10:57] a faith ba uh, faith-based organization. So their mission is people community.
[1:11:02] and we envisioned that for them. We wanted that for them here.
[1:11:06] so ultimately they decided on long beach, um, and we were able to
[1:11:10] secure their business not just for four years, but for five years. And the hope is that we get
[1:11:14] them back for 57, 58 and beyond years.
[1:11:18] so again, thank you for the partnership to our hotels, to the city, all who have pitched in to
[1:11:22] help us be successful. But it goes to show that the proof
[1:11:27] was not in the pricing, it was in the partnership. And
[1:11:31] how we continue to do that is also through our sales team. We're
[1:11:35] in the business of face-to-face relationships. So our sales team is deployed all
[1:11:39] throughout the country and, uh, every day they're out
[1:11:44] making sales calls and meeting with our clients face-to-face to show them that that's what
[1:11:48] we are about and share the long beach story. But again, thank you for your time today. Have
[1:11:52] a good day. Yep.
[1:11:58] in addition, we talked about the branding initiative. We worked with caa
[1:12:02] and this year it was great. We launched that and we were pleased
[1:12:06] to promote it. During grand prix,
[1:12:12] we interviewed over 55 residents and we had
[1:12:16] a lot of other focus groups going on. This, as we
[1:12:21] noted, ended up with vibe city and so for grand prix,
[1:12:25] and thanks to the grand prix association for letting us do this during the
[1:12:29] race, and we blanketed long beach vibe city
[1:12:33] so that 200,000 visitors could discover our
[1:12:37] initial launch into vibe city. The best was this past
[1:12:41] week though, when snoop brought his frenchie
[1:12:45] and he posted this and it's already garnered
[1:12:49] 561.
[1:12:55] there is vibe city on.
[1:13:09] so vibe city is alive and well. Uh,
[1:13:14] lastly, we'd like to give, uh, some updates on the
[1:13:18] tremendous growth in both social media and also our
[1:13:22] website. Sam, thank you. Thanks
[1:13:26] for having us, everybody. And I don't think you can do better than snoop dogg's dogs endorsing your
[1:13:30] new branding. It's pretty good, right? Um, so just some updates from visit long beach.
[1:13:34] if you think about meet long beach as, as that agency that's going after that business
[1:13:38] for us and marketing us in those different destinations, we're really like the media
[1:13:43] agency that's, that's powering long beach as a destination from a marketing
[1:13:47] perspective. Um, one of the ways we do that is our website. Visit long beach.com.
[1:13:52] we hit a new record last year at two and a half million page views, which is better even
[1:13:56] than some news outlets around town. And then we have a new website
[1:14:00] that we just debuted. So if you compare us to take a look at some of the
[1:14:04] other destination websites that are out there in the world, we just infused a whole lot of new technology
[1:14:09] into ours so that we're looking better than everybody else. There's an ai search function
[1:14:13] that's built into our website that'll be launching soon. So we're really proud and happy
[1:14:17] about that. We are also the number one destination for any
[1:14:21] like, events or things to do. So that's a big benefit to our members. Um, this
[1:14:25] was kind of our huge news on social media. So last year we more than doubled our
[1:14:29] presence online across all of our platforms with 14 and a half million impressions
[1:14:35] at visit lb if you're not already following us. But it seems like probably you are.
[1:14:39] um, the exciting news is this year we have three and a half months left in the fiscal year, and
[1:14:43] we're at 20 million already. So we're really excited about the direction that's
[1:14:47] going. We of course also work with influencers from around the world
[1:14:52] to reach demographics that we're not reaching on our accounts. So last year we had 16 partnerships
[1:14:56] and we reached, uh, 3 million impressions through those. We
[1:15:01] also work with media relations and press. So for instance, in the last,
[1:15:05] um, couple of weeks we've worked with ktla on a number of stories about pride
[1:15:09] and zero emission vessels in the har harbor. We've gotten a couple stories in local
[1:15:13] news outlets. This was a big feature that we got last year in sfgate.
[1:15:17] and also we had one in travel and leisure, which led to about 88 million potential
[1:15:22] audience, particularly those two features as well as some broadcasts that we're
[1:15:27] always targeting for our big annual events. So if we had paid for the media
[1:15:31] that we earned last year, it would've cost us $7.2 million.
[1:15:36] so that's, that's the work we're doing at visit. I'm actually now going to turn it over to
[1:15:40] another one of our vps, angel garcia, who's gonna talk about how our memberships benefit
[1:15:44] members benefit from all this.
[1:15:50] thank you sam. Mayor x council, city manager.
[1:15:54] um, we've talked about how visit long beach markets. Uh, the city of
[1:15:58] long beach has a destination, but I'm here to talk about, um, the other work that
[1:16:02] we do, which is help promote over 450 of our
[1:16:07] business members. Um, essentially serving as a tourism, uh, chamber
[1:16:11] of commerce for, for our hotels, our restaurants, um,
[1:16:15] our attractions, our our small businesses. So that's the
[1:16:20] other component of what visit long beach is on a is all about. And so utilizing
[1:16:24] the resources, like sam mentioned, the visibility, the impressions, um,
[1:16:28] all that traffic that we get, we, we, we have the, the opportunity to to also
[1:16:32] impact our community and help grow, uh, our businesses throughout, throughout long beach.
[1:16:37] um, one of those is the next slide that I wanted to share, which is our
[1:16:41] marketing services. And I'm very proud that our team was able to partner with our economic development
[1:16:45] team, um, and the level up program. Um, several members of our
[1:16:50] team, uh, host marketing workshops which help small
[1:16:54] businesses. Not only we don't, our goal is not just to promote the small businesses, but
[1:16:58] also equip them with the tools necessary to continue to develop and market themselves
[1:17:03] and continue to grow their business throughout the city. So, uh, just benefiting our community
[1:17:07] overall. So just thank you for your time, counsel and thank you mr. Mr.
[1:17:11] mayor
[1:17:16] and la. And lastly, the press telegram reported this this past sunday,
[1:17:21] but long beach is going to be the home and the only home here between
[1:17:26] basically del mar up to santa barbara, where we're gonna have three
[1:17:30] firework shows on our coast. And so there'll be one at the queen
[1:17:34] mary, which always occurs. There's two more. Our board
[1:17:39] put money aside to do this. And then we have others who
[1:17:43] have come to help. And so another barge will be
[1:17:47] off of the museum of art and the third barge will be down by,
[1:17:51] uh, rosie's dog beach. And so you'll see our entire coastline,
[1:17:56] our waterfront will be activated with, with boat tours and boaters
[1:18:00] out for the evening. Uh, all of our businesses will also
[1:18:05] be ready to show. And I'd like to thank john morris. John, I know
[1:18:09] you're back there somewhere. Where are you guys?
[1:18:15] as we say, it took a brit to help us celebrate our nation's
[1:18:19] separation. But john,
[1:18:23] john had this vision a year ago. Thankfully he reserved the fireworks
[1:18:27] a year ago because the east coast, they were already thinking about this
[1:18:32] on the west coast. We really weren't. And so therefore,
[1:18:36] long beach will once again stand out and we will have a great
[1:18:41] celebration for our residents, for the regional residents, and for
[1:18:45] other visitors. So with that, we'd like to thank you again
[1:18:49] and if we could show our appreciation from our membership, mayor,
[1:18:54] the new branding
[1:19:07] and our word of thanks. And also thanks to all of our members,
[1:19:12] they really are the ones who make long beach. Absolutely special
[1:19:16] mayor. Thank you. Thank you. Well, we want to thank,
[1:19:20] we wanna thank you steve, and visit and meet long beach, all of our hospitality
[1:19:24] staff. Uh, what an incredible job on the branding this. We
[1:19:28] wanna thank the city council. We brought the branding dollars forward two years ago
[1:19:33] to begin this process, but we trusted that visit long beach. We're
[1:19:37] the professionals and the experts lead that effort. You did an incredible job. Uh, long
[1:19:41] beach is hard for us to describe, and you ask people in our
[1:19:45] community, you're gonna get 10 different answers. International city, bike, friendliest, city,
[1:19:49] aquatic capital, you're gonna get it all. And it's all true. Uh, and it's all these things that
[1:19:54] don't really match, but they work together. We're a coastal town, a queen
[1:19:58] mary town, a port town, all of that is true, but it's hard to land on
[1:20:02] one thing. And what the thing is, the substance of long beach is really an
[1:20:06] experience. You have to experience it for yourself. And that's what a vibe is. It's an invitation
[1:20:10] to come to long beach. Experience the vibe for yourself. I think you nailed it with the branding.
[1:20:14] congratulations. Uh, secondly, um, you know,
[1:20:18] we'll have time to debrief and all that with the amphitheater, but one thing
[1:20:22] that we should note is that a thousand people were working on saturday night
[1:20:27] that would not have been working and getting paid wall to wall union jobs that would
[1:20:31] not have been getting paid and putting food on the table if we didn't take that step
[1:20:36] to bring back live music. And I agree with you, there was not a bad seat
[1:20:40] in the house. You had to have been there to experience the energy.
[1:20:44] something special transpired that night. Long beach elevated the
[1:20:48] amphitheater elevated our city, and we have one additional thing
[1:20:52] to offer when people come to support it. There's not just the direct jobs,
[1:20:56] but those folks are going to our restaurants, stand in our hotels,
[1:21:00] supporting our local economy, the local workers, the servers, the drivers,
[1:21:05] and helping benefit our bottom lines of the city so we can continue to provide quality
[1:21:10] services. So thank you so much. You nailed it. Uh, great job.
[1:21:14] uh, if there are any council comments, now will be the time. I'll go to council member allen.
[1:21:19] yes, I thank you mayor. Um, thank you steve. You
[1:21:23] know, you and your leadership is, is cherished, uh, not
[1:21:27] just by this council, um, but by the city. And, uh,
[1:21:31] you're, you're, you're quietly in the background, but so many great things happen because of you.
[1:21:36] and, uh, I just want you to know how much you appreciate you and your visit
[1:21:40] long beach team, um, is phenomenal. Uh, last
[1:21:44] week was incredible, um, all the stuff that was happening
[1:21:49] in the city, um, but it wasn't just last week. You're doing stuff every
[1:21:53] week and, uh, just know how much we appreciate you
[1:21:57] and, uh, a big shout out to my friend, the one and only john morris,
[1:22:02] um, for the work, um, that you have done, uh, to make that celebration happen.
[1:22:06] so thank you very much.
[1:22:10] thank you. Council member kerr. Yeah, I just wanna echo, uh, my colleagues'
[1:22:15] comments. Um, and thanking the entire team and all of the teams who worked
[1:22:19] collectively to make last week work. Um, the number of moving
[1:22:23] parts on any of those given days was stunning. Um, so
[1:22:27] I appreciate the collaboration, the communication, um, and the ability to
[1:22:31] let folks see not just what our city looked like, but who we are as long
[1:22:36] beach. So thank you to the entire team. A few weeks ago I stayed in
[1:22:40] another city core here in the state. They also were having a convention
[1:22:44] that weekend. And so I had a lot of comparisons of how do we do this and how do we do that?
[1:22:48] um, and our hometown came out on top of all of those metrics. So I want to thank
[1:22:52] everyone involved, uh, with this past week, but in the continued
[1:22:57] building of this, um, experience
[1:23:01] for folks who come to long beach over the last several years. Uh, it continues to grow and
[1:23:05] I'm grateful to all of you. Alright, thank you.
[1:23:09] uh, council member sorrow. Yes, I wanna add my congratulations
[1:23:14] as well. I think it's very exciting to have a, a brand for
[1:23:18] our city, uh, and transition from being iowa by
[1:23:22] the sea. And I am especially excited in the
[1:23:26] innovative and creative ways that we're gonna roll this out into our neighborhood,
[1:23:31] which is, uh, really the vibe itself. Some,
[1:23:35] I think that, uh, it's gonna be exciting to see how we can turn uptown vibe
[1:23:39] city, you know, big sp no vibe city and even cambodia town vibe city
[1:23:44] into a thing, right? So that it's really making sure our, all of
[1:23:48] our neighborhoods and business corridor gets lifted as well. So
[1:23:52] you did a wonderful job kicking off that branding so that it really
[1:23:56] also makes sure that we're rolling it throughout, um, our community.
[1:24:00] so congratulations. Well done. Council members in
[1:24:04] dejas. Thank you. I
[1:24:10] I echo the words of my colleagues. I'm so excited.
[1:24:14] um, for this past weekend especially was amazing to see
[1:24:19] our city just showcase and seeing how beautiful it looks from
[1:24:23] the drones views. You know, it was really great. Um,
[1:24:28] I wanna congratulate you guys and just say thank you for your partnership
[1:24:32] and for your vision. I think that, um, councilwoman
[1:24:37] allen said it. Uh, you guys did a fantastic
[1:24:41] job this weekend. Um, but you have been doing this like
[1:24:46] councilwoman also. Chris said that you have been doing that and you've
[1:24:50] been showcasing our city, um, both meet long beach and
[1:24:54] visit long beach and we couldn't be prouder of the work that you
[1:24:58] have done and that you continue to do personally. I think that one
[1:25:02] of the things that, uh, on top of all the great things that happened, um,
[1:25:07] you guys have also brought the abilities expo
[1:25:11] here to the city of long beach and it hadn't been here for over
[1:25:15] 15, 20 years. And so you brought it here. And even
[1:25:19] though, uh, our competitors on the other side,
[1:25:23] um, they actually were offering them, you know, good,
[1:25:27] good prices. Um, they wanted to come to long beach and
[1:25:31] now because they came back to long beach, they're also coming back
[1:25:36] again in january. And so that's really, really exciting,
[1:25:40] um, to see that other places are choosing us, other conventions
[1:25:45] are choosing us. Um, just like the, you know, the faith, the
[1:25:49] faith convention that is coming over here. That's huge. And so,
[1:25:53] um, I know that this is only the beginning 'cause we are on our way
[1:25:57] up. Congratulations five city. Alright,
[1:26:04] well, you know, I'll co I'll close with this. Um, you know, you
[1:26:08] do this presentation annually, steve, and, uh, we
[1:26:12] hear the updates every year. This was your most impactful presentation
[1:26:17] and also your shortest presentation that I've ever seen.
[1:26:23] so if, if, if those in the audience or maybe on the dais don't
[1:26:27] know the history, I've sat through every one of these since 2010 and
[1:26:31] I'm interested in every time. But this was one of your greatest presentations. Um, and again,
[1:26:35] the shortest, but the c cha, you know, what I will say is, um,
[1:26:39] since this is a three year contract for the first time, that means you won't be coming back
[1:26:44] to renew for the next three years. So we gotta find a way to get an update
[1:26:48] to the city council because this is an exciting era that we're going through.
[1:26:52] I you could feel it in the era on saturday night the long beach was entering. It's,
[1:26:57] it's a new era, the vibe city era, the live music
[1:27:01] era, bringing it back. And so we have to make sure that we find ways to keep the city
[1:27:05] council updated. But thank you for the presentation. Thank you to the hardworking,
[1:27:10] uh, uh, staff and, uh, that run our tourism business or one
[1:27:14] of our largest economic drivers of our city. Uh, from the servers
[1:27:18] to the drivers, to the planners, all of you help make long beach work. Congratulations
[1:27:22] and thank you. Alright,
[1:27:26] we have no, we have no public comment on this item, so members please
[1:27:30] cast your vote. Oh, actually tom, did
[1:27:35] you have anything that I just saw your message? Yeah, I, I think everyone's covered it, but just,
[1:27:39] um, steve knows how we feel about him, him and his whole organization, but it really was an amazing
[1:27:43] week for us. So, uh, we had just an incredible, um, amount
[1:27:47] of camaraderie. There were things we had to work through the teams were working like 16,
[1:27:51] 18 hour days, and it was just seamless. So, uh, that really means a lot in a
[1:27:55] lot of cities, you know, your cvb, your, your, that group is just completely separate
[1:27:59] and, uh, that's not how it is here. So, um, and it's not just that team. It's all the
[1:28:03] people, all the hotels and everyone in this room, uh, just couldn't be prouder of our city
[1:28:07] team and, and especially the number of people I see in the audience here who worked very, very
[1:28:11] hard this weekend. So, just thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Members, please cast your
[1:28:15] vote.
[1:28:23] council councilwoman allen. Motion is
[1:28:27] carried. Alright, thank you. I know a number of folks are gonna congratulations.
[1:28:31] thank you. You
[1:28:35] can drop one of them signs off in my office. Uh, you're welcome.
[1:28:40] um, uh, I know a lot of folks are gonna reset. Let's make some more room in
[1:28:44] here.
[1:29:24] all right. Uh, all right, let's keep the conversation down as we exit.
[1:29:29] we have a number of, uh, big items ahead of us. Alright, the next one
[1:29:33] is item 35. Item
[1:29:37] 35, communication from mayor richardson. Recommendation to receive charter commission appointments
[1:29:41] and reappointments approved by government, operations and efficiency committee.
[1:29:46] all right, uh, before I give my comments, council member, did you have anything? Chair of, uh,
[1:29:50] government committee. I'm just really,
[1:29:54] I wanna express my gratitude for everyone who
[1:29:59] is either being reappointed or they are new
[1:30:03] commissioners. This is really important for the direction
[1:30:07] of where city council goes, where different parts
[1:30:11] of the city go, decisions are made. So thank you to each of you
[1:30:15] for coming out tonight. Tonight, and tonight. You got a good show
[1:30:19] from steve. I mean, short and sweet and fantastic,
[1:30:23] but you are appreciated for being here tonight and being commissioners.
[1:30:28] alright, thanks mayor. Thank you. Alright. So, twice,
[1:30:32] a twice a year, we, uh, do commission appointments. It's
[1:30:36] more efficient that way, but also allows us a process to really think through,
[1:30:41] uh, who is gonna step up in these really important roles and help us lead our
[1:30:45] city because it's really shared governance and some of these commissions are incredibly important.
[1:30:49] the they over, they, you know, oversee the ports and the airport,
[1:30:53] and a number of, uh, key roles. Uh, uh, we have
[1:30:57] two groups of commissions. We're gonna do the charter commissions first and the
[1:31:01] non-charter commission second on the charter commissions. These are incredibly important
[1:31:05] and a lot of times we elevate folks from one commission to the next because
[1:31:10] these are the primetime commissions or they have great experience, or they go through
[1:31:14] a rigorous, uh, interview process with city staff. So the charter commissions are
[1:31:18] incredibly important to the governance of our city. And we have some new charter commissioners today,
[1:31:23] uh, on police, starting with police oversight. Uh, let's introduce david ochoa.
[1:31:28] david is longtime resident for 10 years, proud resident of district four
[1:31:32] cal state long beach alum. Uh, for the past seven years, he's
[1:31:37] worked for state senator tom berg, so we, we know him. And he
[1:31:41] also, uh, has expertise in transportation, public safety, government and finance.
[1:31:45] and he, while representing the city of long beach for the senator's office prior to redistricting,
[1:31:50] um, uh, he's represented this area and other surrounding areas.
[1:31:54] he'll finish out his terms. So he's promoting from the measure a transaction
[1:31:58] use and tax citizen advisory committee, and is now promoting to, uh,
[1:32:02] the charter, uh, charter committee of ci of our, uh, police oversight
[1:32:07] committee. Congratulations, david, and welcome another promotion
[1:32:11] on our planning commission, hakeem chambers. Hakeem dedicated his time to being
[1:32:15] from, to being the program director for long beach city college. Uh, in
[1:32:20] addition to expansive work with higher education, k 12 charter schools,
[1:32:24] university, housing, athletic and recreation centers, parks and emergency operations.
[1:32:29] uh, prior to lbcc, he served as the deputy program director for the
[1:32:33] $14.9 billion l-a-c-c-d bond program, uh,
[1:32:37] in leadership roles in the modernization of dc and detroit public school programs.
[1:32:42] he's finishing his term on the long beach community investment company, where he is been
[1:32:46] a leader on that commission, and we are now promoting him to the planning commission. Congratulations,
[1:32:51] and we have some important reappointments to some important charter commissions,
[1:32:56] harbor commission. Sharon weisman, congratulations. You're being reappointed to
[1:33:00] the harbor commission for a six year term,
[1:33:05] uh, of july 20, july, 2026 to june 30th, 2020, 2032.
[1:33:09] you've been a consistent leader on the harbor commission. Uh,
[1:33:13] very, very, uh, you, you have a heart for the community. Our community trusts you
[1:33:17] and we need your leadership to continue on that commission. Congratulations on
[1:33:22] parks and recreation commission. We're re reappointing. Uh, we are appointing
[1:33:26] and reappointing. Um, we are, let's see, charlene hega, second term,
[1:33:31] uh, christopher chavez, second term. And issa ate smith
[1:33:35] second term. So congratulations to all three of you. Police oversight commission.
[1:33:39] we are congratulations. That's right.
[1:33:45] police oversight commission has two reappointments, edgar campbell and charlin
[1:33:49] bender, congratulations to you and a reassignment from parks,
[1:33:54] uh, parks and recreation commission correcting cory allen's first term from july 1st, 2024
[1:33:59] to june 30th, 2028. Congratulations to our, uh,
[1:34:03] this batch of charter commission appointments. Uh, we we're gonna take public comment,
[1:34:07] then we'll take comment from the council, then we move on. One member of the public signed up to speak.
[1:34:11] rogelio martinez. Rogelio going
[1:34:15] twice. Alright, no public comment on this item.
[1:34:19] and we have, let's see, council members in dejas. And then council member sorrow.
[1:34:29] I just wanted to congratulate everyone and say thank you for your service.
[1:34:33] thank you for those that have been working on this. Congratulations
[1:34:37] on your reappointment and I'm looking forward to all the great
[1:34:41] work that you will be doing for the city of long beach. Thank you.
[1:34:46] council member sorrow. Yes, I also wanna add my congratulations
[1:34:50] to those who are being reappointed to continue to continue your service
[1:34:55] as well as those newly appointed, you know, being on the commission. You also
[1:34:59] serve as an ambassador of our city. So thank you for
[1:35:03] ta ta using your precious time, uh, to, to serve in this
[1:35:07] role. I wanna, uh, give a particular thanks to, uh, commissioner
[1:35:11] or former chair of the equity and human relations commission, christopher covington,
[1:35:16] who's a district six resident. Um, he just finished his service there
[1:35:20] and is now a board on the board of health and human services.
[1:35:24] so thank you for continuing your service, christopher, congratulations.
[1:35:31] alright, thank you. Members, please cast your vote.
[1:35:46] motion is carried. Alright, item 34.
[1:35:51] item 34, communication for mayor richardson. Recommendation, receive and approve appointments
[1:35:55] and reappointments for non-charter commissions. Alright, so now we're continuing
[1:35:59] with the non-charter, uh, newly appointed and reappointed.
[1:36:03] now this is our largest appointments to date. There are a hundred appointees
[1:36:08] and reappointments, so we won't have time to introduce all 100 today,
[1:36:13] but we are gonna just spend a moment introduce the new appointees. Uh,
[1:36:17] and congratulations to you all. Uh, and I'm gonna move this pretty quickly.
[1:36:21] advisory commission on aging point of we're introducing I should, I'm sorry,
[1:36:26] I, I need to recuse myself. Okay. I don't have that in my notes, but you
[1:36:30] feel free to recuse yourself. Thank you so much, mayor. So I need to recuse myself
[1:36:34] on this item. Uh, item number 34. Due to the fact that
[1:36:38] uak into the gentleman who takes my honey do list, uh, is on
[1:36:43] to be appointed to a non-charter commission. I think that's a very appropriate
[1:36:48] recusal. . Thank you, councilwoman. Just
[1:36:52] a moment.
[1:37:01] all right, thank you. Okay, uh, advisory commission on
[1:37:05] aging. Justin poter. Justin, welcome. Congratulations.
[1:37:10] uh, cd five, uh, nonprofit leader, real estate broker, congratulations.
[1:37:14] and catherine francis, cd three resident, uh, educator
[1:37:19] or retired educator business owner. Uh, congratulations to both of you on
[1:37:23] the advisory commission on aging airport advisory commission, john
[1:37:27] mosquera, john cd five resident, uh, 42 years
[1:37:31] of experience in it. Very active in the bixby
[1:37:35] knowles community, uh, and will be a strong voice for residents
[1:37:39] and the community on the airport advisory commission. Congratulations
[1:37:44] and welcome, john. Uh, next on the belmont shore parking and business improvement
[1:37:48] area commission, uh, we have nikki claire, uh, cd three,
[1:37:52] resident owner and operator of george's cafe in belmont shore.
[1:37:56] congratulations and welcome, nikki. Uh, we have heather duncan. Uh,
[1:38:00] heather is owner of a, a business owner, uh, blue windows, uh,
[1:38:05] boutique in belmont shore. Congratulations, heather. Thank you for your service. We have
[1:38:09] matt alvaez, owner of, uh, owner of record of
[1:38:13] real estate par, uh, property co-owner of louis's on second. If you
[1:38:17] haven't been to louis's, you need to check out louis's incredible design and great
[1:38:21] cuisine, long-term legacy family, uh, in the community,
[1:38:25] built the build, his grandfather built the bus, built the building in 1930, and families have
[1:38:29] rep have operated restaurants since 1953. Uh, so matt,
[1:38:33] welcome, uh, kendra miller, resident at large, kendra
[1:38:38] district three resident 22 years of experience, uh, a realtor,
[1:38:42] uh, homeowner in the belmont shore area for 28 years on the parking committee.
[1:38:47] so congratulations, kendra on , on the board
[1:38:51] of health and human services, christopher covington. This is another promotion.
[1:38:56] so christopher is a multi-racial genderqueer person of color,
[1:39:01] community organizer, nonprofit leader with 15 years of experience. And I can
[1:39:05] remember when he was a teenager and he's served, he's consistently been
[1:39:09] a leader, an emerging leader. And so after five years of service on the equity
[1:39:13] human relations commission, he's now moving to the board of health and human services. Congratulations,
[1:39:17] christopher. Uh, that's right. Climate resilient and sustainable
[1:39:22] city commission. Ryan wolf ryan, uh, is, is, uh, us
[1:39:26] navy veteran, and he is a very smart guy
[1:39:30] who I've known for a long time, uh, as in his role as sustainable, resilient,
[1:39:35] resilient de de development department is a lot of words at scag.
[1:39:39] terrible name important agency, southern california association of governments. And we
[1:39:43] is now finally stepping up to serve in the city of long beach on our sustainable, sustainable
[1:39:48] city commission. Uh, rena bki renat environmental
[1:39:52] justice advocate. Strong ties to city urban agriculture, uh,
[1:39:56] uh, and ba in environmental sciences. Geography, ucla.
[1:40:01] uh, lots of experience. Congratulations, renat. We are now moving on
[1:40:05] to the commission on youth and families montana mcdaniel,
[1:40:09] district one, uh, resident at large. Uh, founding director of hidden genius
[1:40:13] project project, which is now doing work here in the city of long beach. Uh, congratulations,
[1:40:18] montana, tristan sorenson. Tristan looks familiar to me,
[1:40:22] uh, competing his junior year at long beach poly high school gold
[1:40:26] jack rabbits. Uh, he's a long beach, na native and purs.
[1:40:31] he, he looks forward to pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy, just like the
[1:40:35] mayor. Um, next is on the equity and human relations
[1:40:39] commission. All right, congrats, uh, on the equity human relations
[1:40:43] commission, uh, district one resident in the at large seat. Matt estes, community
[1:40:48] engagement professional, active member of glamazon, amazon's l-g-b-t-q,
[1:40:52] employee resources group, passion for the community, stepping up to lead. Congratulations
[1:40:57] and welcome. Michelle dobson, esquire, district four resident.
[1:41:01] michelle is an attorney and a local leader, uh, very active in
[1:41:05] numerous organizations. Thank you. Michelle dobson, uh, homeless services advisory committee.
[1:41:10] julia ornelis, district one resident. Uh, julia
[1:41:14] enjoys long walks and music and, and celebr sim celebrating simple,
[1:41:18] simple moments. Uh, we certainly thank you for your, uh, uh,
[1:41:23] your experience in human centered systems, dr. Lorenzo gonzales.
[1:41:28] all right, lorenzo's got some fans here, a street medicine physician,
[1:41:32] uh, providing primary care to the unhoused people of la county. Uh,
[1:41:36] a doctor of medicine from uc, san diego and masters from
[1:41:40] us c's, sole price, public policy, so medicine and policy. He's
[1:41:45] who we need on this commission. Uh, welcome dr. Gonzalez. Moving on to the housing authority.
[1:41:49] pamela marshall, district two resident at large. That's
[1:41:54] right, pamela welcome. Uh, degree in human services from long beach
[1:41:58] city college certified drug and alcohol counselor. Welcome lived
[1:42:02] experience, empowering, uh, leader and a graduate of long beach's
[1:42:06] own neighborhood leadership program on the long beach workforce investment network.
[1:42:10] john edmond in the business representative seat. John is managing
[1:42:14] partner of ed edmond group, a long beach based public affairs firm. 20 years
[1:42:18] of leadership experience. We know because he used to sit, sit up here with us
[1:42:23] as well, not with us as chief of staff for former council member and a representative. Representative.
[1:42:27] now he's gonna do a great job representing local business on our workforce, uh, investment
[1:42:31] network board, gita runkel, uh, on the as the educational
[1:42:36] workforce, uh, representative vice president of workforce and economic development
[1:42:40] at long beach city college, where she builds partnership with industry, education,
[1:42:45] government and community organizations. Welcome gda.
[1:42:49] next is on our marine welcome. That's right. Next our marine
[1:42:53] advisory commission. Timothy ehrlich. Timothy timothy is general manager
[1:42:57] at melrose abbey memorial park and lives aboard of
[1:43:01] 41 foot trawler in shoreline yacht club in long beach. So
[1:43:05] if anybody knows about marine advisory, it is tim. Uh, next
[1:43:09] is technology and innovation commission. Shannon holloway. Uh, shannon
[1:43:14] is founder of hd holloway. A long beach based venture practice helps leaders
[1:43:18] maximize human impact of emerging technology. So we certainly need your,
[1:43:22] your experience. Sit district seven. Resident next is the
[1:43:26] veteran affairs commission. Thank you all for your service. Carlo tech district
[1:43:31] two, resident accomplished human resources executive, uh, committed
[1:43:35] to, uh, community service and serving the board of long beach ymca in volunteering. Volunteering
[1:43:40] with the usc latino alumni association, chad vargas
[1:43:44] district, not district five resident, us navy veteran, uh, vice
[1:43:48] president of ambulatory services at mlk community healthcare, where he leads
[1:43:52] a multidisciplinary medical group focused on delivering high quality equitable
[1:43:57] care. Eight years in us navy as a dental assistant surgical technician
[1:44:01] and field medical technician. Thank you for your service. Welcome to the commission. Those
[1:44:05] are our newly appointed commissioners, and there are dozens and dozens of
[1:44:09] reappointments. Congratulations to all of you. We have, I'm gonna do
[1:44:13] public comment and then we'll take comment from the council members. Lio martinez.
[1:44:19] okay, we're gonna go to the council now. Uh, we have council member
[1:44:24] kerr. Yes. Thank you mr. Mayor, and congratulations to
[1:44:28] all of those, um, who are being appointed tonight. I wanna thank you for your service
[1:44:32] to our community. I wanna thank you for the lived experience that you bring into the halls
[1:44:36] of public policy, um, to the suggestions that you bring to this council
[1:44:41] and to be choosing to be a representative of our city. I wanna shout out and congratulate
[1:44:45] our cd five residents, uh, our new commissioners, uh, justin,
[1:44:50] john, tristan, chad renat, and john for,
[1:44:54] uh, stepping up to some really key roles here in the city and I look forward to
[1:44:58] working with all of you. All right,
[1:45:03] thank you. Uh, next is council member duggan.
[1:45:08] uh, once again, thank you for stepping up for this position and,
[1:45:12] uh, the work that you do makes a difference in the city. Thanks for your time for this
[1:45:16] too. Thank you. Council member allen.
[1:45:20] yes, thank you. You're all just very special people and us with, uh, congratulations
[1:45:24] on your appointments, on your reappointments and uh, special
[1:45:28] congratulations to district two commissioners, pamela marshall
[1:45:32] and to carla tech. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for your service
[1:45:37] and council members in dejas. Yes, congratulations again to everyone,
[1:45:42] um, especially the new commissioners. I'm so excited for
[1:45:46] district one commissioners, uh, ryan montana, uh,
[1:45:50] julia, matt and timothy. Congratulations. Can't wait to see all the
[1:45:54] great work that you will be doing. Also wanted to share that, you know, when
[1:45:59] I started in in public service, it was a little bit over
[1:46:03] 20 years ago as a commissioner for citizens advisory commission
[1:46:07] on disability. So it really, really brought me,
[1:46:12] um, a sense of giving and giving back to the community. And so thank
[1:46:16] you for all that you do. Alright, thank you. Well
[1:46:20] that, uh, we're now gonna go move to a vote and then we're gonna take a big, big picture.
[1:46:24] so bear with us, uh, members, please cast your vote.
[1:46:33] motion is carried. Alright, so we're gonna invite all the
[1:46:37] appointed and reappointed commissioners to the front for a photo. It's gonna be a
[1:46:41] big crowd.
[1:50:48] all right, we are gonna continue on again, we have a very
[1:50:52] long uh, night. We're now moving into our hearings,
[1:50:56] which, uh, I'm looking to our attorney. I know there's been a request and I see
[1:51:00] everybody here in the orange and we certainly appreciate you. My hands are tied on
[1:51:04] these next few items. They are hearings. We actually have to take them next.
[1:51:09] and counsel, we're gonna have to take multiple votes on each hearing, so I'm gonna call hearing
[1:51:13] item three and then walk us through aaron, the process hearing item 33 please.
[1:51:18] so hearing item 33, um, it does have requirements to be noticed under the municipal code. It
[1:51:22] was noticed for this evening and it does need to go forward this evening
[1:51:28] report from community development recommendation to adopt a resolution to adopt and
[1:51:32] certify an amendment to the program environmental impact report relating
[1:51:36] to map and text changes to the land use element as well as implementation
[1:51:41] of general plan. Use element through an amendment to
[1:51:45] rezone designated corridors in the greater bixby knowles area and to make corrections to
[1:51:49] the lue text for clarity and to ensure compliance with state housing
[1:51:53] laws, adopt an ordinance establishing two new zoning districts
[1:51:57] that will implement the neighborhood service servicing corridor low
[1:52:01] and community commercial place types and minor amendments to all
[1:52:06] existing zoning districts contained within title 22. Read the first time and later
[1:52:10] over the next regular meeting of city council for final reading. Adopt a resolution
[1:52:14] adopting a general plan map amendment to amend pages of the designated map book of
[1:52:18] the land use element of the general plan related to the greater bixby knolls
[1:52:22] area and to andy street in north long beach. Adopt an ordinance
[1:52:26] for a zoning map change to amend the zoning designations and rezone select
[1:52:31] properties on major corridors in the greater bixby knolls area. Read for the first time
[1:52:35] and later to the next regular meeting of city council for final reading. Adopt a
[1:52:39] resolution adopting a general plan tax amendment to amend the land use element to
[1:52:43] redefine and clarify definitions. Reconcile numerical discrepancies,
[1:52:48] update specific development standards for the multi multifamily residential
[1:52:52] low and neo industrial place types and update table lu dash six
[1:52:57] citywide. Alright, thank you. There's no oath
[1:53:01] required. Correct. Okay. And there, how many votes need to be
[1:53:05] taken on this aaron? I believe
[1:53:10] five. Okay, so we're gonna start the presentation, then we'll do public comment
[1:53:14] and then we'll start the council deliberation then five votes staff presentation please. Yes, so we have
[1:53:18] our director of c community development, christopher kunz and team here.
[1:53:25] great. So alejandro santos lopez, our advanced planning officer
[1:53:29] and uh, is going to give the presentation.
[1:53:34] good evening honorable mayor and members of city council. The item before you today include
[1:53:38] zoning and general plan amendments for the greater long, uh, bixby knolls area as
[1:53:42] part of the zone in bixby initiative.
[1:53:46] the proposal before you consists of three main components. First, a series of texts
[1:53:50] and map amendments to the land settlement to bring it into compliance with state housing regulations
[1:53:54] and the city's zoning code. Secondly, minor updates to existing zoning regulations
[1:53:59] and the addition of two new zoning districts to title 22 of the code
[1:54:03] to each implement a general plan place type. And third, the rezoning of select
[1:54:07] properties within the zoning bixby project boundaries including along
[1:54:11] major corridors and other areas of change. As a
[1:54:15] refresher long range urban planning in california is guided by a city's general plan,
[1:54:20] a big picture constitution that lays out the vision policies and goals for a place
[1:54:24] and is made up of seven required elements or chapters. These include for example, land
[1:54:28] use and housing. While the general plan lays out the vision and high level guidelines
[1:54:33] for a city, the zoning ordinance provides specific regulations codified in the municipal code
[1:54:37] and it is the main tool to carry out the general plan through clear and detailed regulations.
[1:54:42] it is a law describing how land can be used, which plan is referred to in the development
[1:54:46] review process. Over the past eight years,
[1:54:50] the planning bureau has spearheaded a comprehensive revamp of the zoning code through zoning in
[1:54:55] a systematic effort to update the zoning regulations to implement the 2019 general
[1:54:59] plan land use element. Since 2020, the zoning team has
[1:55:03] completed major rezonings through a series of efforts. You
[1:55:07] plan or up plan in north long beach zone in city court and central long beach
[1:55:11] and zone in west lb in west long beach. All of these have focused on
[1:55:16] accommodating housing needs and improving access to commercial uses. The
[1:55:20] map shown here shows all rezoning efforts that have either been completed or
[1:55:24] are currently underway. The zone in bixby project area
[1:55:28] is generally bounded by the union pacific rail line to the north cherry avenue to
[1:55:32] the east east wardlow road and the 4 0 5 freeway to the south
[1:55:37] and long beach boulevard and country club road to the west. The symbolized
[1:55:41] areas on the map show that lue place types identified as major areas of change,
[1:55:45] which are the focus of zone and bixby. Like prior efforts, the project deliverable
[1:55:49] is to provide a set of new zoning recommendations that are aimed to meet the current and future needs
[1:55:54] of the community by accommodating new housing, improving access to essential commercial
[1:55:58] uses, encouraging pedestrian friendly design and promoting
[1:56:02] existing main street corridors through objective design standards and careful land
[1:56:06] use considerations in addition to the rezoning shown here, zoning
[1:56:10] and bixby also includes changes to the land use settlement. Some of these are citywide
[1:56:14] cleanup actions that are required to ensure continued compliance with state regulations and alignments
[1:56:19] between the city's general plan and zoning regulations. Others are specific
[1:56:23] to the zoning big street project area and involve a combination of changes to the existing
[1:56:27] place type designation for certain corridors or parcels and concurrent rezoning
[1:56:31] reflective of the new designation. A more detailed overview of these changes
[1:56:36] will be covered later in this presentation. No changes to the existing height
[1:56:40] designations adopted in 2019 lue are proposed at this time.
[1:56:46] zone in bixby began in march of 2023 with a series of stakeholder interviews
[1:56:50] for community members and businesses based in the project area, followed by a public
[1:56:54] open house later that summer. Following these engagement activities, the
[1:56:58] project was put on pause due to both staff shortages and the need to finish other zone
[1:57:03] in projects that were further along. Once you plan and zone in city corps
[1:57:07] were completed and adopted by city council in the fall of 2024, a
[1:57:11] new staff team for zone in bixby was convened for a relaunch in early 25.
[1:57:15] starting that spring, the project team hosted a series of three in-person walk audits along
[1:57:19] major corridors in the project area, including san antonio drive, atlantic avenue,
[1:57:24] long beach boulevard, and wardlow road. Following the walk audits,
[1:57:28] the team hosted a virtual workshop in june of last year, which provided an overview of
[1:57:32] the project to date and facilitated the q and a session with community members.
[1:57:37] the capstone engagement event for the process was a second and final
[1:57:41] open house held at longfellow elementary school on july 17th. This
[1:57:45] open house included a series of stations that gave an overview of the final proposal for the project
[1:57:49] area, including the zoning code and map changes as well as a proposed place
[1:57:53] type changes for the project area. A 45 day public review
[1:57:58] period for the final proposal followed the open house with all the event boards
[1:58:02] available online along with a virtual comment form to provide input on each station and
[1:58:06] aspect of the proposal. The final engagement activity for the project with the
[1:58:10] state mandated 90 day tribal concentrate consultation with affected tribes
[1:58:15] on february 19th of this year, the planning commission held a hearing on the project at which
[1:58:19] they voted to recommend the council approve the zone in bixby proposal as
[1:58:23] proposed. Shown here are photos from the walk audits
[1:58:27] from last year along with the open house. The audits each focus on a specific quarter and
[1:58:31] topics including walkability and active transportation, housing, typologies and
[1:58:36] land use considerations for main street corridors with existing ground floor commercial spaces.
[1:58:41] feedback and findings helped inform the final rezoning proposal
[1:58:46] throughout the engagement process, the project team heard a variety of input on common
[1:58:50] topics, residents voice concerns about the potential parking impacts of changes
[1:58:54] to the existing zoning and land use designations, especially from new new housing, increasing
[1:58:59] neighborhood parking demand. Additional concerns included preserving
[1:59:03] existing neighborhood character and design, particularly for single family areas. There are
[1:59:07] strong support for more commercial options and amenities, especially for more retail shops and
[1:59:11] services along major corridors. Some residents also voice support for greater housing options
[1:59:16] in terms of both typologies and affordability levels. A compendium
[1:59:20] of all public input received throughout the engagement process in 2025 is included
[1:59:24] as attachment f to the staff report on tonight's item.
[1:59:29] as mentioned earlier, the general plan provides the guidelines and directions for the zoning regulations
[1:59:33] and the note 2019 lue, the corresponding place types map shown here, citywide on
[1:59:37] the left served as the blueprint for the rezoning component of the project.
[1:59:42] the zoning proposal before you today implements the following place types in the project area
[1:59:46] shown on the right multifamily, residential, low and moderate neighborhood, serving
[1:59:51] corridors low and moderate and community commercial.
[1:59:55] the table here provides a crosswalk between the adopted place types and corresponding zones
[1:59:59] that can be applied to set place types. As you can see, we have already developed and adopted
[2:00:03] several zones marked as existing in the code. Many properties
[2:00:08] in the bixby area are proposed to be rezoned to these existing zones when appropriate
[2:00:12] to their properties corresponding lue designation. Our
[2:00:16] recommendation also includes two new main street zones, mum and
[2:00:20] cm that are proposed to be adopted through this project and applied selectively along
[2:00:25] an existing key commercial corridor with vibrant business activity. For these two
[2:00:29] new zones, mum would be applicable to the nsel place type well cm would
[2:00:33] be applicable to the community commercial place type.
[2:00:39] the map here shows a proposed rezoning for the project area, including areas that
[2:00:43] are also proposed to have an lue place type designation change. Aside from
[2:00:47] the small number of proposed changes, which are covered in more detail later in the presentation,
[2:00:51] the proposal is based on place type consistency, community input, existing conditions, assessment,
[2:00:56] and other city goals and priorities. The available options for each
[2:01:00] were determined by the menu of 10 established zones except where the new main street zones
[2:01:04] are proposed. Some place types only have one applicable zone and therefore involved
[2:01:08] a straightforward selection while mixed use place types have multiple options to choose
[2:01:12] from. That would be consistent with the corresponding designation
[2:01:17] highlighted. Highlighted in red here along atlantic avenue is where the new main
[2:01:21] street zones are proposed to apply. They reflect community, business and city priorities
[2:01:25] to promote and enhance the existing main street mixed use and commercial character of
[2:01:29] major corridors and prioritize more active retail uses and objective design standards.
[2:01:34] the next few slides will walk through the proposed general plan, place type map changes
[2:01:39] and the reasoning behind set changes. A key
[2:01:43] driver for the proposed changes is the local housing crisis. In 2022,
[2:01:47] the city adopted an update to its housing element in accordance with state law.
[2:01:51] as part of set update, the city developed a roadmap to accommodate more than 26,000
[2:01:55] new housing units over the corresponding eight year period. In order to meet
[2:01:59] the city's state mandated regional housing needs allocation arena, as
[2:02:04] it's also known commitment of those over 15,000 units
[2:02:08] must be designated as affordable to very low, low and moderate income
[2:02:12] households. The city has produced far less affordable housing than is needed for decades
[2:02:16] now and halfway through our current cycle we have only permitted 6%
[2:02:20] of those 15,000 units. As part of the zone. In rezoning efforts, the
[2:02:24] city is obligated to ensure sufficient zone capacity to meet both existing
[2:02:28] and future housing needs. In
[2:02:33] addition to the citywide housing obligations that reno reflects the geographic distribution of
[2:02:37] new housing is a critical component of meeting state and local fair housing commitments
[2:02:41] and addressing longstanding documented patterns of segregation and say spatial inequality
[2:02:45] present in the city. The map on the left show the city's housing elements site
[2:02:49] inventory sites in dark blue dots while the underlying layers show the designation of
[2:02:54] each census tract in the city. Based on the california tax credit allocation committee
[2:02:58] analysis of what are known as opportunity areas, the highest
[2:03:02] resource areas in the city are in the darker blue color with low resource areas shown
[2:03:07] in the light green color. The data on the right is from the analysis provided at
[2:03:11] the time of adoption of the housing element and shows the need to further address
[2:03:15] patterns of segregation for new housing development by creating capacity for more
[2:03:19] housing, particularly affordable housing in high resource areas,
[2:03:23] the data shows a disproportionately high number and percentage of site inventory units
[2:03:27] are in lower resource areas of the city. While high resource areas conversely
[2:03:31] have a smallest allocation of both units overall and in particular affordable units.
[2:03:37] additionally, in the years since the housing element was adopted, some sites in the city's inventory
[2:03:41] have been developed at either lower densities or lower affordability levels
[2:03:45] than originally anticipated or improved with non-residential uses.
[2:03:50] as such, the housing buffer that the was established when the city adopted
[2:03:54] its housing element has shrunk and state law requires cities to identify
[2:03:58] alternative sites when a shortfall for any income level and arena
[2:04:02] allocation is established. State legislation has also continued to evolve over the
[2:04:06] past few years around housing element law and increasingly supersedes or
[2:04:10] requires additional action from local jurisdictions to maintain compliance.
[2:04:14] together these and other factors require a continuous reassessment and adaptation
[2:04:19] of local programs and policies including our general plan.
[2:04:24] the next few slides will individually walk through each of the proposed changes shown. First here
[2:04:28] is long beach boulevard between bixby road and 37th street. Both sides
[2:04:32] of this corridor are proposed to be changed from comedic commercial to neighborhood serving corridor low
[2:04:37] and consequently rezone from the existing cca zone to the mixed use
[2:04:41] mu two zone. This will expand availability of multifamily housing on a major
[2:04:46] corridor in a high resource area of the city and attest address potential black concerns
[2:04:50] given the significant upheaval that has affected commercial only spaces
[2:04:54] since 2020. As a result of the covid-19 pandemic and a global decline
[2:04:58] in office occupancy. The next change
[2:05:02] proposed is for the western park are the 3,700 block of atlantic avenue.
[2:05:06] these parcels are currently zoned as our four end and are de developed primarily as the
[2:05:10] bixby towers. The land use settlement erroneously designated this area as
[2:05:15] exclusively commercial making the existing residential use non-conforming with the general
[2:05:19] plan. Additionally, under the housing crisis act of 2019, cities
[2:05:23] are borrowed from reducing or eliminating housing development potential via either
[2:05:27] a land use or zoning designation change compared to what was of in effect as of january
[2:05:32] of 2018. As a result, the place type designation must be updated
[2:05:36] to one that allows for multi-family residential as a buy right use staff
[2:05:40] has proposed nsel as a new place type and mum as a new zone to allow
[2:05:44] for both residential and commercial uses to continue to be permitted along the corridor.
[2:05:51] shown next is a parcel at 4 0 1 east 37th street on the northeast corner
[2:05:55] with elm avenue, which is proposed to be converted from founding and contemporary neighborhood
[2:05:59] to mfrl. This parcel is currently developed a single story office
[2:06:03] building that is in use as a local scout service center for the boy scouts of america long
[2:06:07] beach area council. It is considered a double lot as it is twice the width and size
[2:06:12] of the typical single family lot found in this area. This site was
[2:06:16] selected for a re-designation due to its existing commercial use being unpermitted. Under the
[2:06:20] current zoning, the large lot size and location as a corner lot and adjacency
[2:06:24] to existing multi-family residential uses and zoning on the southern half of 37th street.
[2:06:30] the proposed change would expand missing middle housing opportunities in
[2:06:34] a high resource area of the city. Help to address the city's housing elements that inventory
[2:06:38] inventory deficit as required by state law and facilitate the production
[2:06:42] of ownership housing of which the city has produced a relatively small share throughout its
[2:06:47] current arena. Cycle staff also notes that multiple residents who lived in
[2:06:51] the in the vicinity of the site attended planning commission in fairbury to express opposition
[2:06:55] to changing the place type designation at this site.
[2:06:59] next is a commercial development at 46 47 long beach boulevard. This
[2:07:04] is a correction to address a mapping error from the 2019 lue as a parcels
[2:07:08] shown here were erroneously designated as open space. The
[2:07:12] proposed change will correct a mistake by designating the parcels as nsel and have
[2:07:16] mu two zoning to match the rest of the corridor. Finally,
[2:07:20] one last map cleanup is proposed for the thirty three hundred and thirty four hundred block
[2:07:24] of andy street in north on beach. This area was again erroneously designated as
[2:07:28] neo industrial and is currently fully developed as existing multi-family
[2:07:32] residential. Additionally, there
[2:07:37] are a series of proposed text changes to the land of settlement to address inconsistencies, clarify
[2:07:41] standards and ensure alignment with the zoning code and compliance with applicable state housing laws.
[2:07:45] these include updates to the table and text, providing guidance for housing density and
[2:07:49] high limits for place types, as well as making additions to the land use
[2:07:54] settlement place types and zoning consistency matrix table, also known as table
[2:07:58] lu dash six to reflect the applicability of new title 22 zoning
[2:08:02] districts across the corresponding place types. Finally, there's specific revisions
[2:08:06] to the neo industrial regulations to eliminate rigid parking standards that are more appropriate to be contained
[2:08:10] in the zoning code. The proposed changes to
[2:08:14] table table lu dash six are shown here in red. This consistency
[2:08:19] matrix dictates zoning alignment and leg and eligibility for rezoning based on the
[2:08:23] given play site. The table has not been updated since title 22 was established
[2:08:27] and therefore does not currently reflect title 22 zones. Updating the table
[2:08:31] will help ensure future rezoning efforts remain consistent, streamlined and objective.
[2:08:38] finally, all requirements under s ql were met through an addendum to the 2019
[2:08:42] land settlement eir. All public noticing requirements were met as previously
[2:08:46] noticed as well with that staff recommends approval of the project and
[2:08:50] is available for any questions you may have. This includes staff presentation.
[2:08:57] alright, thank you. And now go to public comment.
[2:09:01] uh, we have six members of the public signed up to speak. When you hear your name,
[2:09:05] please make your way to the front cordless lee tara rigg,
[2:09:10] uh, jean williams, jim henigan, rohelio martinez,
[2:09:14] and dan smith. Some of this might've been entered wrong. I know some of his
[2:09:18] last names are different. Um, cordless, you're up first.
[2:09:26] hi cordless lee here, east side voice of long beach.
[2:09:30] um, the issue here is that the lue wording changes
[2:09:36] are flying under the radar. This is
[2:09:40] being handled under this bixby rezoning
[2:09:44] when in fact this affects the entire city,
[2:09:49] the entire city. As you saw when the lue
[2:09:54] went through in 20, what was it, 20 18, 20 19,
[2:09:58] I think a meeting by my house brought in 800 people.
[2:10:02] 800 people were interested in density and
[2:10:07] heights and this, they have no idea
[2:10:11] this is going on. You've put
[2:10:15] this in under bixby rezoning. The only people that are attending
[2:10:19] these meetings are people from bixby I found
[2:10:23] out by accident. So I think you
[2:10:27] owe the people of this city meetings so that they
[2:10:31] can see what's going on. They can see what's gonna affect their neighborhood.
[2:10:37] the problems with density and height are traffic, parking, crime
[2:10:42] and garbage. We went through that in the
[2:10:46] 1980s, 1990s, the press telegram local newspaper
[2:10:50] published how an apartment boom turned in neighborhoods into
[2:10:55] mean streets. How long beach zoning mistakes
[2:10:59] created a disaster in long beach neighborhoods. I sent you
[2:11:03] those links and I hope you look at 'em. That's what you're
[2:11:07] headed for here. If you make these lue wording changes
[2:11:11] and especially if you do them without letting the public know what's going on.
[2:11:16] I'm appalled.
[2:11:25] alright, tara. Good
[2:11:29] evening mayor and uh, members of the city council. My name is tara regie. I'm the president
[2:11:33] of the california heights neighborhood association representing approximately 1600
[2:11:37] homes within one of the largest historic districts, um, in long beach.
[2:11:42] I'm speaking tonight regarding agenda item 33 and the proposed edition of the word average
[2:11:46] to the city's development standards. At first glance, this may appear
[2:11:50] to be a small technical amendment. However, from a neighborhood preservation standpoint,
[2:11:55] words matter, planning language matters. The standards we adopt today
[2:11:59] become the rules that guide development decisions for years to come. Our concern
[2:12:04] is that introducing the word average creates ambiguity where clarity currently
[2:12:08] exists. Historic neighborhoods like cal heights rely on the
[2:12:12] objective and predictable standards to ensure that new development remains compatible
[2:12:16] with the existing character of the community. When standards become less precise,
[2:12:21] they become more open to interpretation. That uncertainty can make
[2:12:25] it more difficult for residents to understand how future projects will be evaluated
[2:12:29] and congratulate erode the neighborhood character that generations of long beach residents
[2:12:33] have worked hard to preserve. And I wanna strongly emphasize that california
[2:12:38] heights is not opposed to growth. We understand that long beach must
[2:12:42] continue to evolve and accommodate future housing needs. However, growth
[2:12:46] and preservation are not mutually exclusive. We can support new development,
[2:12:51] we can support affordable development while still maintaining clear standards
[2:12:55] that provide certainty to residents, property owners and developers and city
[2:12:59] staff alike. Historic districts represent some of long beach's, most unique
[2:13:03] and valuable neighborhoods. Their character is not accidental. It is the result
[2:13:07] of thoughtful planning, preservation efforts and development standards that have helped protect
[2:13:12] these communities over time. We ask the council to carefully consider the unintended
[2:13:16] consequences of this language change. If the goal is to improve flexibility, we
[2:13:20] encourage the city to provide stronger safeguards and clear definitions so that
[2:13:24] neighborhood compatibility remains a priority. On the behalf of the california
[2:13:29] heights neighborhood association, we respectfully request that the council reconsider
[2:13:33] the proposed average language and ensure that any amendments preserve the
[2:13:37] clarity, predictability, and neighborhood protections that our residents depend on.
[2:13:41] thank you. Thank you. Jean is next. Jean williams
[2:13:48] and after jean is jim. Yeah. Hello. Good
[2:13:52] evening. Um, I wanna add really quick, I know in all your marketing
[2:13:56] that that was fantastic, that video and I was on the citizens,
[2:14:00] uh, the queensway bay citizens advisory committee back in the early nineties that started all
[2:14:05] of it with the aquarium. So I'm excited to see that. Yeah, thumbs up.
[2:14:09] and also you show in the marketing sometimes our neighborhood, the los cerritos neighborhood
[2:14:13] and how historic those homes are too. To add on to
[2:14:17] what, and I sent a letter to all of you an email when we're talking about
[2:14:21] the text language in this is very, very important as tara mentioned.
[2:14:26] and adding onto that, let's just define average. Average
[2:14:30] in math is a single number that represents the central
[2:14:35] typical value of a set of data. Most
[2:14:39] commonly referring to the arithmetic, meaning it is calculated by
[2:14:43] adding all the numbers in a set together, then dividing the sum
[2:14:47] by the total count of numbers. And now then you have over
[2:14:51] here the report from the planning commission, a 96 page document
[2:14:56] that should have cleared all that up. Instead, use the
[2:15:00] word typical in this definition, typical describes
[2:15:04] something that acts as a classic expected or representative's
[2:15:09] example of a specific group category or
[2:15:13] situation. It implies conformity to a recognized norm
[2:15:17] and is synonymous with words like ordinary, standard and characteristic.
[2:15:22] I want you, I would like for you to just delay the vote. You had it.
[2:15:27] I'm, I'm pro affordable housing, I understand what's going on in california.
[2:15:31] I have kids where this has been a problem. That is not it. You had it tonight,
[2:15:35] you could have approved it tonight and somehow this word average got slipped
[2:15:40] in to the text. Um, language. You need to be,
[2:15:44] it needs to go over it, it needs to be rectified and
[2:15:48] then bring it back to the council. And I have another question for you.
[2:15:52] when this was approved by the planning commission, did they know, was this brought to their attention,
[2:15:57] this change in the text of putting average into
[2:16:01] it, into the language? Because otherwise it has to
[2:16:05] be. If you're going to add this to me, this means that that, uh, building
[2:16:09] on wardlow and cerritos is illegal because the
[2:16:14] standard in that area is not originally seven story.
[2:16:18] now it's five story. It's not typical or common in that
[2:16:22] area. So see you've gone from black and white to
[2:16:26] gray. It's gonna be challenge. You'll be challenged every step of the way.
[2:16:31] I don't want this, I want affordable housing to can you on,
[2:16:35] you know, restaurants and et cetera can't exist if we don't have density. That's
[2:16:39] part of the problem there too. Anyway, I don't know how I'm ever gonna get down to 90 seconds
[2:16:43] in the future here, which you're voting on tonight. Thank you.
[2:16:48] thank you. Hearings. Hearings
[2:16:52] will still be three minutes. Those are, those are legal proceedings. All right, next is jim.
[2:16:58] uh, well honorable mayor and members of the council.
[2:17:03] um, I've been doing this for 25 years, speaking on behalf of my neighbor,
[2:17:07] my neighborhood. I'd like to mention a neighbor facing some health issues who spoke at the planning commission
[2:17:12] but can't make it because he can't take the anxiety anymore.
[2:17:16] um, at, I'm speaking specifically about the 4 0 1 east 37th
[2:17:20] boy scouts property that's being up zoned. I would
[2:17:24] request that that be deleted from zone in and zone in can go on without it.
[2:17:29] there's no project supposedly because a developer has not
[2:17:33] paid fees, but there's a shadow project the developer has the property
[2:17:37] under option has been waiting three years for a promised zoning
[2:17:41] change. He said he was going to wait for the city so that they could build
[2:17:45] by. Right. I object to the actual proposed changes.
[2:17:49] higher density and greater height is inappropriate and unjustified north
[2:17:53] of a natural physical border of 37th street into a large
[2:17:58] fcn neighborhood that's been preserved for 50 plus years.
[2:18:02] we are told that existing r one n zoning would allow four units at
[2:18:07] two stories each with an a du and I think that's plenty zoning.
[2:18:11] bixby isn't bringing anything new or innovative here. Zoning bixby talks about
[2:18:15] bringing mixed use and saying this parcel is been
[2:18:20] an office for in an r one residential zone for 70 years.
[2:18:24] purpose-built as an office. It was never anything else.
[2:18:28] it's just this is just the same push for higher density, greater height,
[2:18:33] higher market rate housing profit for a developer.
[2:18:37] no regard for the community and the character of the neighborhood or the views of the residents.
[2:18:42] no innovation, nothing for low income. Same old, same old.
[2:18:47] we're told we're we're. This is gonna address missing middle housing. The
[2:18:51] west side of elm is r two. There's multiple three unit properties.
[2:18:55] the east side has several two unit properties, several adu.
[2:18:59] it's not just some mansion plex. I object
[2:19:04] to the process. In addition to what's being proposed,
[2:19:09] the normal process of application for entitlements for mfrl
[2:19:13] in an existing fcn place type would mean details of
[2:19:17] the development would be forthcoming with a proposal
[2:19:21] in actual payment of fees. Then whatever remains of a se equa
[2:19:25] analysis would come out because there was a general plan amendment requested
[2:19:30] and the proceedings would be noticed to the community. We'd get
[2:19:34] a sign at the site, we'd get notice to three, the 300
[2:19:38] foot radius that would be mailed. Developers been waiting for this.
[2:19:43] why not build four to five, four or six houses with
[2:19:47] a garden, maybe affordable for first time owners, maybe
[2:19:51] for veterans, maybe for immigrants, maybe somebody who's been victimized by
[2:19:56] ice. We can do better. Thank you.
[2:20:01] thank you jim. Uh, lio.
[2:20:07] rogelio martinez, north long beach resident district nine.
[2:20:13] so, um, whenever the city
[2:20:17] proposes a presentation that regards the arena numbers,
[2:20:21] um, I would recommend that you add a hyperlink
[2:20:27] to the scorecard as far as what our city is doing with regards
[2:20:31] to accessory dwelling units, junior accessory
[2:20:35] dwelling units, senate bill number nine units, and
[2:20:39] the, I guess now defunct 400 square feet micro
[2:20:43] dwelling units that were supposed to be built along high traffic
[2:20:48] corridors like one was mentioned today.
[2:20:52] what I did not see in this report was you did mention the
[2:20:56] census tracks, but you did not mention the keywords opportunity
[2:21:01] zones that was missing as well. You did mention the
[2:21:05] missing middle housing, which I think we can all agree that that
[2:21:10] is much needed, but it does come at a cost. And
[2:21:14] then what you failed to also put in the report was at
[2:21:18] what expense are the taxpayers on the hook for
[2:21:22] the two mistakes that your department did, right?
[2:21:27] the addie blocks and the open space.
[2:21:31] how much is that correction going to cost us?
[2:21:42] and that was it for my public comments. I do not approve this, but I know
[2:21:46] that, put it this way, all of these people are going to say
[2:21:51] yay, like is the common thing. But this is not a
[2:21:55] good thing for you residents of long beach. And like the lady that spoke
[2:21:59] way ahead of the time, this does not just affect the cal heights
[2:22:03] bigsby area. This is going to affect citywide. So please pay attention.
[2:22:07] thank you. Alright dan,
[2:22:15] that would be don smith . It's all right . Sometimes
[2:22:19] it's entered incorrectly. Forgive me. Um, I'm adamantly against
[2:22:23] the zoning change to the corner of our neighborhood, as jim explained at 4 0 1
[2:22:28] east 37th, the boy scout. That's what I'm here to address. I live
[2:22:32] five parcels away from that property and, and the, the staff
[2:22:36] refers to our neighborhood as a foundational and contemporary neighborhood. And that
[2:22:40] line obviously is driven at drawn at 37th street. So
[2:22:45] if you allow this zoning to encroach in our neighborhood, then I plead
[2:22:49] to you give me the same right? Why stop there.
[2:22:53] I wanna parcel half the size of this subject parcel. I can get eight units on that
[2:22:57] site on my site. Okay, why stop, just
[2:23:02] give the whole block the opportunity to do the same as the corner ruin the whole neighborhood.
[2:23:06] okay, so 35 years ago I moved up into
[2:23:10] the neighborhood and I moved under the flight path of the airport. I didn't complain.
[2:23:14] I moved, I plead to you give me the same right to build eight
[2:23:19] more unaffordable units so I can move again out of
[2:23:23] long beach, I promise.
[2:23:27] alright, well that concludes public comment. We'll now, uh, close
[2:23:31] that portion of the hearing, take it back behind the rail. Um,
[2:23:35] just a a few, a few comments. There are a number of, um, hearings that, that
[2:23:40] we're conducting today. Um, zone in I I'll tell
[2:23:44] you, I've seen the zone in process and um, across all across our
[2:23:48] city, we're a city with very distinct and diverse, uh, neighborhoods and communities
[2:23:53] and we were one of the ones to start it. Uh, up and uptown. Uptown
[2:23:57] uptown planning council member rick. So do you remember when you were a resident when we started
[2:24:01] and eventually a planning commissioner? Um, we're on our second
[2:24:05] update in the downtown second major update in our downtown, but it's
[2:24:10] happening all across our city. And the goal is,
[2:24:14] uh, to be able to, to plan and address the changes
[2:24:18] and think about growth in a way that is smart and equitable across the whole
[2:24:23] city, while also preserving character, uh,
[2:24:27] in your communities and have local conversations by neighborhood as
[2:24:31] opposed to one big conversation across the city. A lot of communities haven't
[2:24:35] done this work and we've been, we've been ahead of many communities by
[2:24:39] actually doing this ground up process and making sure that we, we address
[2:24:44] this, these challenges in a very boutique way. But I
[2:24:48] think it's also important to acknowledge who we are in long beach. We are city
[2:24:52] that is taking very intentional steps to affirmatively further
[2:24:56] fair housing, which is a federal requirement to do so,
[2:25:01] given the history of discriminatory housing
[2:25:05] practices and land use policies in our city. And these are not opinions. This is
[2:25:09] a fact. We had discriminatory practices in our city,
[2:25:13] which have led to a tale of two cities.
[2:25:17] now we have responsibility in our federal government, which
[2:25:21] is also enshrined in our state law, that we have to
[2:25:26] affirmatively further fair housing, meaning take affirmative steps to address
[2:25:31] economic segregation that has created, uh, this tale of two cities
[2:25:35] in our city for the last 80 plus years by going community,
[2:25:39] by community and addressing housing and growth in a very thoughtful way. This
[2:25:43] is being responsible about addressing, addressing equity.
[2:25:48] now, every community may feel differently about this, but as the mayor and thinking about
[2:25:52] the whole city of macro, I certainly support going through and updating all
[2:25:56] the zoning in advance and not looking at a cookie cutter approach.
[2:26:00] taking the state's, uh, arena process and allocating it
[2:26:04] flat across the city. Go figure out how to build 26,000 units without a
[2:26:08] real strategic plan on how to get there and how to do. So. We should be thinking about how we
[2:26:12] invest in housing in all of our communities in a thoughtful way. How we leverage
[2:26:16] housing and investment to create more economic opportunity onto corridors
[2:26:20] and create opportunities for families to be able to raise children with dignity in
[2:26:25] every part of our community. And if we, if we behave like
[2:26:29] communities, other communities have operated completely different in orange county, other ways
[2:26:33] they've gotten their housing, their ability to do their local planning for
[2:26:37] housing taken away completely. That's not an option.
[2:26:42] we have to go through the hard conversations, go through the process of really thoughtfully
[2:26:46] thinking about our neighborhoods. We may everyone may not agree
[2:26:50] and that's okay and that's why we have elections. That's why we have planning commissions.
[2:26:55] but I will say, uh, I think the way long beach is going about it
[2:26:59] is the right way and we should continue to support local planning efforts broken out by
[2:27:03] neighborhood. Like the zone in pro process has gone. I'll also say we
[2:27:07] have council people to know the very, the nuances in each of the districts. I
[2:27:11] wouldn't expect any of the council members to be experts in anyone else's district. That's why
[2:27:16] we have local council people to know those on the ground dynamics. And in this case,
[2:27:20] I trust council member kerr's, uh, leadership in this moment. So we're gonna go to council member kerr.
[2:27:26] thank you mr. Mayor. Uh, I wanna thank director kuntz and the community development team for their
[2:27:30] thorough and informative presentation tonight. I also wanna thank the community members who
[2:27:34] came out to share their thoughts and feedback as well as those have who have submitted
[2:27:38] online comments, uh, which I have received and seen tonight.
[2:27:42] as mentioned, the bixby zoning and the whole zoning in process citywide has been ongoing for
[2:27:46] quite some time. The bixby zoning specifically since march of 2023.
[2:27:51] I appreciate the hard work it's taken over the last several years to bring us to this point. Uh,
[2:27:55] with information, with meetings, with walks, uh, with comment periods, with
[2:28:00] responses from the team, I believe it's extremely important that as a city we
[2:28:04] continue to modernize and meet the ever-changing needs of our residents and community. There is
[2:28:08] much that makes bix spin olds a special and unique community from the active and thriving
[2:28:12] business corridor to the lively and engaged residential neighborhoods. And I firmly feel
[2:28:16] that this rezoning work with I, which I share with district eight, allows us
[2:28:20] to continue to plan for the future where these things remain to be true.
[2:28:24] as someone who's lived here my whole life, I've seen a number of changes in bixby olds to date and
[2:28:28] I think many of them have been for the better. We continue to create neighborhood staples
[2:28:33] and businesses and restaurants. We've seen community activations increase over time.
[2:28:37] companies large and small want to be located nearby and the pride in a well connected
[2:28:41] community continues to thrive. The neighborhood has evolved naturally, but
[2:28:45] in truth it has its strength and its challenges. Even with an active community.
[2:28:49] we still have businesses close, vacant lots, linger longer, leaving the
[2:28:53] opportunity for blight, underuse and misuse of spaces that can be
[2:28:58] reimagined to benefit us all by actively reassessing what types of buildings
[2:29:02] and uses are most appropriate in certain areas. We have the ability to encourage uses
[2:29:06] that are forward thinking, growth oriented and beneficial to the entire long beach
[2:29:10] community. I know some people are concerned generally with the impacts of increasing affordable
[2:29:14] housing and housing in general where it historically has not been before. But
[2:29:19] creating opportunities for more young families to find this community affordable and accessible
[2:29:23] should not be considered a strike against the character of the neighborhood. In fact, I think
[2:29:27] limiting changes would be against the spirit of a well connected community. That is part of what our
[2:29:31] makes our neighborhood so special, thoughtful rezoning will allow more opportunities
[2:29:36] for us to welcome new families, new uses and new ideas that will continue to keep this
[2:29:40] area thriving for generations to come. All that said, I understand
[2:29:44] there's some concerns around the specific parcel at 4 0 1 east 37th street known as the boy
[2:29:48] scout property, as well as the overall process for how and why
[2:29:52] this kind of rezoning project is being carried out. Along those lines, I have
[2:29:56] a couple of questions and I know I will go over my five minutes, so I will gladly req,
[2:30:00] um, after my colleagues go ahead and conclude. Okay,
[2:30:04] well I'm just getting started. So related, go through your comments okay. As the council member
[2:30:08] in the area and we'll just great, keep going from there. Thank you. Just trying to be respectful
[2:30:13] of everybody's time. So to the team, uh, you talked briefly
[2:30:17] in the opening slides about the zone in process. Can you speak to how this zone in
[2:30:21] process for bixby has been similar to the ones that have been concluded or
[2:30:25] are currently in process and how has this process for b bixby specifically
[2:30:29] been different? Sure. So, um, this process
[2:30:34] has been similar in approach to our other zone end processes. So those
[2:30:38] are all, um, read by, um, led by alejandro and those, uh,
[2:30:42] processes, whether it was city corps and council member sorrows district
[2:30:46] or u plan up in district eight and nine. Um, they're
[2:30:51] led with community engagement. They're based on real world conditions, walking
[2:30:55] the streets of the impacted area. Um, they're based on data, but they're also
[2:30:59] constrained. We're not starting with a blank piece of paper. We're starting with an
[2:31:04] existing adopted 2019 land use element. And we're starting with a
[2:31:08] whole jumble of state law that highly constraints what the
[2:31:12] city can do and points the city toward, um, additional housing,
[2:31:16] uh, accommodation. How this particular situation was
[2:31:20] different. So a few things. Bixby knowles is a special place
[2:31:24] and alejandro talked about the main street approach. I know your
[2:31:28] question is about a site that that many people are concerned about, but what was most different about this
[2:31:32] process was that very walkable dining, shopping, uh,
[2:31:37] area in bixby knowles and how we recreate that through zoning.
[2:31:41] because even though those businesses exist today, if
[2:31:45] one was to be torn down, you couldn't rebuild it the way it is today under
[2:31:49] the rules that are on the books today. So it's really about how we can get that main street
[2:31:53] look and feel. But then the other thing we had to do because of
[2:31:58] years of experience since 2019 back and forth with state agencies
[2:32:02] was we had to look at are there additional changes that need to be made?
[2:32:06] so we looked at are there mismatches and, and we talked about, um, bixby
[2:32:10] towers where our zoning, our um, land use element,
[2:32:14] um, was commercial, but it's residential. Um, and then we looked at big sites.
[2:32:19] 'cause it's a high opportunity area, it's one of the first rezonings
[2:32:23] of high opportunity areas we've done. And that's where the
[2:32:28] office site that is in, you know, that
[2:32:32] location but is not a normal residential lot, is a larger lot and had an office
[2:32:36] use on it. The zoning's wrong. So it has to be fixed. One way or another
[2:32:41] came to our attention and I had to make the call of what we were gonna do about
[2:32:45] that. And we included that parcel in the larger effort, um, along with the
[2:32:49] other cleanups and the other work, um, that was part of the total bundle.
[2:32:53] so each approach is different, but we follow the
[2:32:57] same process. And I will just say in each
[2:33:01] one, whether it was uptown or city core, or now here in bixby, we engage
[2:33:05] with many folks and we, we try to take all of the input in, but
[2:33:09] not everything we receive is, is possible. And there's not always perfect
[2:33:13] consensus in this effort. There were, uh, folks that were very interested in these
[2:33:18] changes. There were folks that were very unhappy and
[2:33:22] not supportive of these changes, um, that occurred in other areas too,
[2:33:26] but that occurred here in, in this effort. Thank
[2:33:30] you. Um, and speaking of, of the lot on 37th while we're there,
[2:33:34] um, you talked about your, your call to, to include it in this,
[2:33:39] um, and I, I'm not gonna assume what that was for.
[2:33:43] I'm gonna, I think what you've conveyed to me is it's staff time.
[2:33:47] we're already in the middle of this particular area anyway. Could you talk a little bit about why
[2:33:51] you made that call? Yeah, so there's a number of factors. We are in our housing element
[2:33:56] required to be looking for sites in high resource areas. And, uh, this
[2:34:01] rezoning different than uptown. Our city core was a very high resource area,
[2:34:05] so we were looking at where their sites mislabeled or mis zoned.
[2:34:09] um, and then the office use itself as an office
[2:34:13] use in a residential zone, it needed to be resolved.
[2:34:18] um, and then the third is, if left unresolved, it opens
[2:34:22] a future owner to basically a number of scenarios,
[2:34:26] whether it's a 10 unit buy right or a 20 unit buy right,
[2:34:30] or a four subdivision. Um, a scenario where the city
[2:34:35] is exercising no control because of the unresolved mismatch
[2:34:39] there. And we had an opportunity to figure out what plan designation and
[2:34:43] zoning would be appropriate for the site to put that into place. Um,
[2:34:47] and then any individual project is still gonna go through an individual project process.
[2:34:52] so I think there was some testimony that it wouldn't be noticed and it, but that's
[2:34:56] not correct. Um, any future project would appear on our website
[2:35:01] if it involved, uh, a subdivision. That subdivision actually triggers
[2:35:05] a hearing and public review. So the point isn't a short circuit
[2:35:09] all public review. Um, the point is to take the process
[2:35:13] partially through, um, to resolve the plan and zoning
[2:35:17] issues. But there is still project level review, which would occur on any project.
[2:35:23] thank you. Um, that answered my follow up question is of, so any proposed
[2:35:28] project on any site within this zone in, whether it's long beach boulevard
[2:35:32] like you spoke about, or 37th street, what does that process look like for
[2:35:36] someone to come in, uh, to build something that meets the new requirement?
[2:35:40] yeah, so it really depends on the project. Um, uh, you know, something
[2:35:44] that's one to four units is by right? With or without this zoning change.
[2:35:49] you know, when someone ta turns their home down and, and maybe builds a new one,
[2:35:53] um, that doesn't trigger a public process, but any more advanced pro, uh, more substantial
[2:35:57] projects due, and alejandro is gonna tell you more about that. Sure.
[2:36:02] so under the proposed rezoning, um, there would still be a buy ride
[2:36:06] approval process for projects that address certain threshold, larger projects, usually the
[2:36:10] types of projects that, um, will have a lot more scrutiny. Um, projects
[2:36:15] that are not a hundred percent affordable like the, in the rest of the city that has been rezoned,
[2:36:19] um, at 50 units or more, we will have to go through a planning commission hearing process.
[2:36:23] um, so that all remains the same. Um, I think the other part that
[2:36:27] that's important to clarify, um, is that there
[2:36:31] are not any changes to bixby that have not been implemented in other parts of
[2:36:36] the city. We have not at this point, you plan which first rezoned in 2020.
[2:36:40] we have not seen whole scale large changes in that part of the neighborhood.
[2:36:44] um, most of the changes that have come in have been a vacant shopping center
[2:36:49] now being allowed to have a buy right gym go into the place to, to
[2:36:53] fill it up, where that would've been a very onerous process, not necessarily because it becomes discretionary,
[2:36:58] but because the parking requirements that were in place under title 21 were so restrictive
[2:37:02] that it became functionally impossible for those new sites or those sites to
[2:37:06] be occupied by a new business. So that's the type of change that we expect to see more so
[2:37:10] than, um, a ton of new development.
[2:37:14] so the normal planning commission process, uh, questioning appeals and all of
[2:37:18] that would apply to, to new projects under this? So in
[2:37:22] that's correct. So the city has a threshold, um, in terms of the number of units
[2:37:26] included in a housing project and whether it requires what we call site plan review. And that's a process
[2:37:31] through which we, um, review plans, um, prior to
[2:37:35] allowing them to move forward to the building, um, permit stage. And those get routed to different departments
[2:37:39] for their analysis of, um, whether the, uh, proposal,
[2:37:43] um, is appropriate, needs to be conditioned appropriately. And depending on the project
[2:37:48] size, um, may either be done at the site plan review committee level, or a
[2:37:52] public hearing level. Um, either way it's appealable to a public hearing. So
[2:37:56] there's noticing requirements, there's a public hearing requirements. And so, um,
[2:38:00] there's the five or more unit threshold that christopher mentioned. So when projects or, or
[2:38:04] five or more, um, under the existing regulations, um,
[2:38:09] uh, that that discretionary process does move forward. So that does allow, um,
[2:38:13] uh, that individual review. Additionally, um, there are some changes,
[2:38:18] um, that, um, that hcd is asking us to work on related
[2:38:22] to changing that threshold to 10 units or more. So, um, that's something the council will have
[2:38:26] an opportunity to weigh in on, uh, later this year, but is coming, uh, from state law.
[2:38:30] and then christopher mentioned in many, um, ownership projects, it'd also require some sort of subdivision
[2:38:35] action. And that is also a public hearing process, uh, through which noticing
[2:38:39] would take place and there would be opportunity for, uh, comment and feedback.
[2:38:43] and what are the ways that you do noticing, I know we see public postings
[2:38:48] in certain areas that are close. Uh, what are, what are the ways that you all do
[2:38:52] outreach or that residents in addition to getting information from the council's office
[2:38:57] can get noticing information directly from your department? Yeah, so there's sort of two
[2:39:01] buckets. Okay. So there is required legal noticing.
[2:39:06] um, we post a site that's the most effective form of noticing 'cause
[2:39:10] people are in their neighborhood and they see the sign saying, you know, project proposed in
[2:39:14] this location. And they look at the notice. That's the number one, um, way
[2:39:18] that we hear from people that they hear about a project. Um, we also mail
[2:39:22] written, hear, hearing notices, depending on the specific project
[2:39:26] and its location. It could be a short radius, like, uh, 350
[2:39:31] feet in other circumstances, a much larger radius for things like
[2:39:35] big warehouses, which doesn't apply in this location. But, um, so, and
[2:39:39] we mail those. That's important. That's a traditional way of doing noticing.
[2:39:43] we don't get a lot of response. People, I don't know, don't open their
[2:39:48] mail or that doesn't seem to be super effective, but we do do it, um,
[2:39:52] uh, you know, for policy changes and other, we'll sometimes
[2:39:56] do notices in the newspaper that's, no one reads that,
[2:40:00] but that is a legal, um, form of notice.
[2:40:04] but then we're not done. So there's a second bucket that you use the word outreach. Um,
[2:40:09] when we have applications, uh, we encourage applicants to
[2:40:13] talk to their neighbors. If there's an existing neighborhood association, we
[2:40:17] ask them to talk to the neighborhood association. When we receive an application, we
[2:40:21] do what's called a notice of received application. Um, so that goes to other
[2:40:26] agencies and entities around the city, but it also goes to the neighborhood association if
[2:40:30] we have their information on file. Um, so that's part
[2:40:34] of the less legalistic, but still important part of the project review
[2:40:38] because we want people to talk. We want them to, to review their projects and
[2:40:43] express, um, what, what can be done. And
[2:40:48] if I could just add, there's also the, um, opportunity to, um, see any
[2:40:52] public hearing notices on our website and sign up for link lb to get those notifications.
[2:40:56] um, so some folks get every public notice that we post, which may, uh, seem like a lot,
[2:41:00] but you're able to, to search by address. Um, and then we also have, uh, inter an interested
[2:41:04] parties list. So there are some folks that wanna make sure they're getting that direct update from us
[2:41:08] on every project. Um, so those are the, uh, additional ways to get that input
[2:41:12] or get that information. Thank you. And we've talked a lot about, um,
[2:41:16] the housing portion of this. I wanna switch over a little and talk a little bit about the
[2:41:21] businesses. So we know that along these corridors we have, uh, buildings that
[2:41:25] were built at different times, different uses, misuses according to, uh,
[2:41:29] what's on paper as you were saying. Can you speak to a little bit about
[2:41:33] what this process specifically, uh, for bixby knowles, again, you talked about that
[2:41:37] main street atmosphere. We know that when businesses come in and
[2:41:41] they work with an existing building that was maybe built in the fifties or the sixties, they're dealing
[2:41:45] with issues from when that building was either built or updated. Can
[2:41:50] you talk about the ways in terms of cutting red tape and ease of
[2:41:54] businesses to transition into new spaces and to welcome new businesses, how this zone
[2:41:58] in process, uh, works on the business side of the house as well?
[2:42:04] sure. So I mentioned a little bit with the gym example. That's a highlight that
[2:42:08] we have seen be consistent whenever we do this rezoning approach. The first kind of
[2:42:12] classic example that we heard originally in north on beach, but has been echoed in a lot of ways,
[2:42:16] is somebody that lives in the neighborhood looking to open up a zoo zumba studio or a coffee
[2:42:20] shop. But then they come across, um, seemingly insurmountable
[2:42:24] barriers with the existing zoning regulations, parking requirements, or something else
[2:42:29] with the existing regulations, maybe the use requirements that trigger additional
[2:42:33] thresholds or are impossible to meet and functionally mean a dead end for their
[2:42:38] proposed business. A big focus for title 22
[2:42:42] rezoning projects have been increased flexibility both with, um, housing,
[2:42:46] but, um, hand in hand as well on the commercial and retail side,
[2:42:51] to ensure that folks that are looking to grow or start a business are able to do
[2:42:55] so without the city as an institutional roadblock. Um, and with the zoning facilitating
[2:42:59] that rather than being a barrier that they have to rack their heads around and and
[2:43:03] try to find, um, some mechanism, um, with planners,
[2:43:07] um, even if it might be allowed under the current regulations,
[2:43:12] the process to get there can sometimes be too time consuming to functionally be
[2:43:16] realistic. And so streamlining not just whether something is permitted or not, but how quickly it
[2:43:20] can be done is a big focus as well. And part of it is recognizing that not everything is solved
[2:43:24] through zoning. So a big focus whenever we do engagement is hearing from community members,
[2:43:28] from residents, from stakeholders, from business leader that say this other part
[2:43:32] was also an issue, and being able to communicate that across other city departments. So
[2:43:36] business licensing for example, being, um, in conversations with us so that we're learning
[2:43:40] and sharing that information as well. Um, but on the zoning side specifically, a big focus is
[2:43:45] to provide that flexibility, um, and recognizing that that
[2:43:49] adaptability and flexibility is really critical. Knowing that things continuously
[2:43:53] change, um, nothing remains the same forever. And so trying to, um,
[2:43:58] be proactive about that and responsive to what folks raise as their core priorities
[2:44:02] is really critical. Um, even if the actual, um,
[2:44:06] mechanism to change can vary based on, on a given neighborhood condition. Um,
[2:44:10] so to that end, the two zoning districts that were created specifically for the
[2:44:14] bixby knows area, were around this main street corridor that is very clearly established
[2:44:19] along atlantic avenue, um, that the business improvement district was very focused
[2:44:23] on highlighting as a priority to ensure that businesses that are there can continue to grow.
[2:44:27] um, and businesses that want to move in, um, don't have obstacles that are within
[2:44:31] the city's control, um, to overturn. Um, so those, those two new
[2:44:35] districts were really where we focus a lot of our technical research on a lot of our engagement kind
[2:44:39] of q and a on, um, when it came to making sure that, um, the youth requirements
[2:44:43] in terms of what type of businesses make the most sense when you already have an existing corridor as opposed
[2:44:47] to charting a chart, a new one, um, were, um, prioritized,
[2:44:52] um, that the design considerations, um, match what folks wanted to
[2:44:56] see in their neighborhood, but remained objective and not subjective so that they were compliant with state law,
[2:45:00] um, and that they were easy to understand, um, that they didn't turn into 300 pages of
[2:45:04] code because we wanted to get the minutia of everything down to a t but instead
[2:45:08] be relatively flexible and adaptable and legible so that people both
[2:45:13] on the city side and on the public side can understand what those changes functionally are.
[2:45:18] and it, it may be helpful to explain, most businesses interact with us when they're trying to get
[2:45:22] their business license and move into an existing space. So I think a lot of times when people hear zoning,
[2:45:26] they're thinking new, new development from the ground up. But most businesses find
[2:45:30] challenges, uh, related to opening, um, and locating that, um,
[2:45:34] that may relate to what the zoning regulations are and, and ensuring compliance. So when
[2:45:38] we have an older, uh, built out area like this one where, as christopher mentioned,
[2:45:43] the existing development may not, uh, in many locations doesn't meet, for example, the
[2:45:47] setback requirements of the, of the code that's in place today. Those types of things
[2:45:51] can put, um, barriers in the way for businesses to more easily locate and relocate in spaces
[2:45:55] that we wanna see activated. Thank you. Um, and
[2:45:59] that, that is the same experience I had
[2:46:03] when working with a business that was looking to expand into, uh, a building next to them
[2:46:07] that was a different building. And, and the requirements that were even talked
[2:46:12] about upfront were that much more challenging than when they opened the first part of their
[2:46:16] business. So, um, I know that this economic development piece
[2:46:20] and the supporting businesses is, uh, really key to, to the zone in.
[2:46:25] I think that's all the questions I have. I have gone way over. I'll allow my colleagues to answer
[2:46:29] and if I have more, I will queue up again. Thank you. Alright, council
[2:46:33] member th intu. All right, thank you so much. Um, you know, just
[2:46:37] quickly, I just wanna say that I'm pleased to see that we're continuing the long term,
[2:46:41] uh, zoning and planning update across the city. Um, the vast
[2:46:45] majority of this planning though, as was stated by my colleague, falls within,
[2:46:50] uh, cd five. Um, but I really appreciate the, uh,
[2:46:54] the clarity that you've provided at 46 47 long beach boulevard.
[2:46:58] and I also think that it, uh, really focuses in showing us how you
[2:47:02] really fine tuning and making sure that you're being thoughtful, uh,
[2:47:07] block by block about what's happening, um, in communities. Um, thank you for
[2:47:11] walking through again, you know how you're reaching out. I know people were out there. I saw,
[2:47:15] you know, folks walk in the street and trying to engage and figure out what's happening in their community
[2:47:19] and what they'd like to see. Um, and look forward to seeing how this
[2:47:23] impacts residents in the eighth district. Much has been discussed regarding, um,
[2:47:27] housing. I just wanna ask a quick question related to commercial development.
[2:47:33] um, you highlight, uh, title 22 zoning regulations, establishing
[2:47:37] enhanced ground floor, um, design and requirements to foster
[2:47:41] walkable, walkable neighborhoods. Um, just wanted to see how we
[2:47:45] are gonna apply those standards in the future to redevelopments.
[2:47:50] will it just, um, require true commercial space or will
[2:47:54] there also be an opportunity, um, to just enhance pedestrian, uh,
[2:47:58] friendly infrastructure?
[2:48:04] uh, so there's, uh, updates to the
[2:48:09] active ground floor section of the title 22 regulations.
[2:48:13] so those were already in effect. Um, they were originally developed as part
[2:48:17] of u plan to respond to what folks were seeing with a lot of vacant,
[2:48:22] um, kind of pedestrian level storefronts. Um, recognizing that,
[2:48:26] um, under state law we cannot necessarily require, uh, commercial
[2:48:30] only. Um, but we can incentivize it and, um, provide
[2:48:35] flexibility. Just kind of the common theme of title 22 by still line for ground
[2:48:39] for residential, for example, as long as it's designed in a way that promotes that active
[2:48:43] use. So if there's a multi-family residential building that goes, um,
[2:48:47] into a major corridor, making sure that the ground floor is the leasing area or the gym or the laundry
[2:48:51] room, something that promotes that activation that makes the street feel safer when you're walking by because you
[2:48:55] see people, um, also living their lives, um, as you're, as
[2:48:59] you're crossing. Um, and ensuring that that as a public safety component,
[2:49:04] um, increases walkability and pedestrian access through a corridor.
[2:49:08] um, there's also slight updates to the actual design standards and what qualifies as
[2:49:12] an active use based on best practices priority, um, feedback from
[2:49:17] community residents and lessons learned as we've, uh, established these in other
[2:49:21] parts of the city. So that's generally where the focus has been on these updates.
[2:49:27] thank you. Council member sorrow. Yeah, I just wanted to uplift it,
[2:49:31] um, what my colleagues here and the mayor shared about how amazing our community
[2:49:35] development department is and really taking a neighborhood block by
[2:49:40] block approach, uh, because when they did, uh, zone in
[2:49:44] city corps, it wasn't a cookie cutter approach in every neighborhood.
[2:49:48] you know, I represent a district that has been dis historically disinvested
[2:49:53] in planning was done in a mishmash. Uh, you know,
[2:49:57] we'll put it in as we feel like it approach where you'll have a tire
[2:50:01] shop right next to a supermarket and then you'll have a storage
[2:50:05] space next to something really random, which
[2:50:09] at a liquor store or smoke shop, right? So we
[2:50:13] took, uh, they took this as an opportunity to really hear residents and advocates
[2:50:18] to think about a program that can empower and educate, uh, neighborhood
[2:50:22] leaders to be able to learn how to map and
[2:50:26] see what they want instead of what they don't want. And I think that that's something
[2:50:30] of a good approach that our team, uh, our city staff has taken in seeing well, what
[2:50:34] could work? How can we hear back from you and what you really want? 'cause oftentimes
[2:50:39] when people say that they don't oppose growth, sometimes
[2:50:43] that means that they don't want growth in their neighborhood or their community.
[2:50:48] but the fact is that our city, and even in general throughout
[2:50:52] we've seen there is growth because of the need for housing. And so
[2:50:57] I do know that in long beach, in central and downtown, we've
[2:51:01] had major density because of the larger number of housing,
[2:51:05] especially affordable housing being built in central long beach. So
[2:51:09] I'm really happy that we're able to, to provide affordable
[2:51:13] housing, but we can't carry that alone as a district. It needs
[2:51:17] to be distributed out to the city. And that's just something I wanna share. It's not saying
[2:51:21] that every district or neighborhood has to have
[2:51:25] specific cookie cutter approach in how we're gonna address growth. And that's
[2:51:29] what I, the process is, is how do we have that kind of dialogue and discussion.
[2:51:34] so that's what I just wanted to share is, and you know, I'm proud that they're
[2:51:38] getting an award from the american planning association, uh,
[2:51:42] la chapter at the, the end of this month for this innovative approach. And I'm
[2:51:46] excited to join them with our community leaders to receive this award to show
[2:51:50] that it doesn't have to be one way, one size fits all,
[2:51:55] but being responsive and thoughtful, what a community needs and working with them
[2:51:59] to be creative, uh, on how do we address, uh,
[2:52:03] a zoning issue that works for the neighborhood. So, thank you.
[2:52:08] alright, thank you. We now have five votes to take on this hearing.
[2:52:12] let's queue up the first vote, please. So that first vote is the adoption of
[2:52:16] the resolution to adopt and certify the addendum to the programmatic eir
[2:52:21] for the general plan land use element update in the urban design element,
[2:52:25] um, which evaluates and covers the actions you're taking tonight. Members,
[2:52:29] please cast your vote. Motion is carried. Alright,
[2:52:33] next vote please. The next vote is to adopt the ordinance amending the identified titles
[2:52:37] in title 22 to implement the new zuni di di districts
[2:52:41] for the implementation of the lue place types. All right, members, please
[2:52:45] cast your vote carried.
[2:52:50] thank you. Next vote please. The third vote is to adopt the resolution that adopts
[2:52:54] the general plan map amendments and makes those proposed findings related
[2:52:58] to, um, those updates for the greater bpal area and andy
[2:53:02] street in north long beach. Motion is carried.
[2:53:07] oh, motion carried. Great. Next one. And this is to adopt the ordinance for a zoning
[2:53:11] map change as described by staff and to, um, adopt the related
[2:53:15] findings there too.
[2:53:20] motion is carried. Thank you. Next vote. And the last vote is to adopt the
[2:53:24] resolution for the general plan text amendments.
[2:53:43] motion is carried. Great. Thank you. Uh, that was
[2:53:47] the longest of the hearings. Uh, we'll solve those and then we'll go to the,
[2:53:51] after the hearing, we'll go to the, uh, violence prevention hearing
[2:53:55] item 32 or 31
[2:54:00] report from community development recommendation to receive supporting documentation
[2:54:05] and to the record, conclude the public hearing and adopt resolution
[2:54:09] to adopt and certify an addendum to the program environmental impact
[2:54:13] report prepared for the general plan, land use element
[2:54:17] and urban design element relating to a zone change and general
[2:54:22] plan amendment in accordance with provisions of sqa guidelines and
[2:54:26] making certain findings and determinations that no new
[2:54:30] or different mitigation measures are required. Adopt resolution
[2:54:34] approving a city initiated general plan map amendment
[2:54:39] to change the land use place type and height limit and adopt ordinance
[2:54:43] for a city initiated zoning map change to amend the zoning
[2:54:48] designation for a property at 57 0 5 through
[2:54:52] 57 23 lyme avenue. Read the first time and laid
[2:54:56] over to the next regular meeting of the city council for final reading district eight.
[2:55:03] all right. Uh, is there a staff report on this one brief? Yes. We have
[2:55:07] jonathan iniesta, planner for community development. Yeah. And we
[2:55:11] just went from a really large area wide rezoning to looking at one specific,
[2:55:16] uh, property with some cleanups needed. So quick presentation here from jonathan.
[2:55:24] good evening, honorable mayor and members of city council. The item before you today is
[2:55:28] a proposed rezoning and general plan amendment for a city owned parcel at 5 7 2 1
[2:55:32] lime avenue. Little bit of background before we get into
[2:55:37] the specifics of the site. 2019 city council adopted
[2:55:41] an update to the general plan land use settlement, or lue 2020
[2:55:46] adoption of the first re zoning to implement that newly created lue districts through
[2:55:50] the first phase of what was known as u plan. Subsequently, 2024,
[2:55:55] phase two of u plan was adopted.
[2:55:59] the map here on the left shows the updated lue place types, specifically in north
[2:56:04] long beach. The map on the right shows the two phases of u plan. Phase
[2:56:08] one was focused on atlantic and artesia corridors and included a partial rezoning
[2:56:12] of the subject site. Now looking at
[2:56:16] the site itself, it is located just southeast of the quarter of south and
[2:56:20] atlantic. The parcel is 18,800 square feet, currently
[2:56:25] undeveloped, vacant, and is adjacent to a commercial and residential
[2:56:29] uses to the north single multi-family residential to the south and
[2:56:33] east institutional uses to the east and commercial uses to
[2:56:38] the west along atlantic avenue.
[2:56:43] this slide shows the maps of the existing split zoning and split
[2:56:47] lue place types slightly over a quarter of the parcel is currently zoned
[2:56:52] mu two a with the place type of nscm three stories.
[2:56:57] this combination allows for a variety of residential and commercial uses
[2:57:01] and up to 54 dwelling units per acre. The rest of
[2:57:05] the subject site is zoned r three s, which allows up to three units
[2:57:09] per lot and has a place type of scn, which allows for 18
[2:57:13] dwelling units per acre.
[2:57:17] if we zoom out, this map here on this slide shows broader place type
[2:57:21] designations for the surrounding area. Both atlantic avenue and south
[2:57:25] street are major corridors identified as areas of change with mixed
[2:57:30] use and multi-family designations at three stories throughout and
[2:57:34] four stories at the north side of that intersection.
[2:57:38] additionally, the u plant process identified clear priorities that included addressing
[2:57:42] blights under investments and vacant spaces while promoting
[2:57:47] complete neighborhoods in conjunction with increased economic developments
[2:57:51] and new housing development with varied housing types.
[2:57:56] ultimately, the split designation has presented a major issue
[2:58:01] to development or use opportunities, which helps to explain
[2:58:05] why the project site has been vacant all this time.
[2:58:13] as for the zoning context, this map shows the broader zoning classifications
[2:58:18] in the surrounding area. This stretch of lime is zoned,
[2:58:22] uh, r three s, which allows for small scale multifamily residential.
[2:58:28] while the project site is not in the city housing element site inventory,
[2:58:32] it is designated as surplus property for sale in combination with
[2:58:36] the adjacent parcel to the north, which is entirely zoned
[2:58:41] mm u2 a and is currently developed with a, uh,
[2:58:45] vacant commercial building.
[2:58:50] the proposed changes would affect the southern portion of the subject site to
[2:58:54] address the split zoning by making the entire parcel
[2:58:59] the same zone mu two a with the high limit of three stories.
[2:59:04] this would also result in both city old parcels having consistent
[2:59:09] zoning and facilitate developments of both properties
[2:59:18] given the existing conditions impediments to developments.
[2:59:22] and while addressing blight that the current, uh, split designation presents
[2:59:27] staff has made findings to support the change. As a
[2:59:31] result, this accomplishes multiple city policy goals of fostering
[2:59:36] complete neighborhoods, continuing to prioritize development
[2:59:40] with new housing opportunities along major corridors, near
[2:59:44] transit hubs, and expanding housing opportunities at
[2:59:48] all levels for all types of families while minimizing,
[2:59:53] uh, direct displacement of tenants.
[2:59:59] this light further summarizes the project alignment with the city policies found in
[3:00:03] various general plan elements, which include land use, housing,
[3:00:08] air quality, and mobility.
[3:00:12] as part of the environmental review, an addendum, uh, was
[3:00:16] prepared for the land use settlements, uh, program eir,
[3:00:22] um, which analyzed this project. None of the conditions requiring
[3:00:26] a new subsequent or supplemental environmental report are
[3:00:30] present with
[3:00:34] that city staff recommends the city council accept planning commission's
[3:00:39] recommendation as proposed. Thank you.
[3:00:43] alright, that concludes that presentation. One member of the public sign up to speak
[3:00:48] rogelio
[3:00:57] lio martinez, district nine north long beach resident.
[3:01:03] so what did not make the report
[3:01:07] was, you know, as the public, I would urge you to ask
[3:01:11] this council and this mayor and this planning department
[3:01:16] for a list because it should be that transparent.
[3:01:21] a list of city owned properties, that's number one.
[3:01:26] number two, a list of vacant properties
[3:01:31] and what use meaning, how people can
[3:01:35] utilize those properties because they did mention
[3:01:39] blight. And then lastly, 'cause I'm not gonna take
[3:01:43] all three minutes, they mentioned very casually the
[3:01:47] person that was talking about the report, and I don't know if you caught it, but I did,
[3:01:51] but I'll repeat it. Direct displacement,
[3:01:56] displacing of tenants. Very fancy word for
[3:02:01] moving people out, and I'll repeat it.
[3:02:05] direct displacement of tenants. So hopefully
[3:02:10] those buzzwords caught your attention because in 2028,
[3:02:15] the olympics are coming to two cities, los angeles and
[3:02:19] long beach. And believe me, there's gonna be a lot of tenants
[3:02:23] that are gonna be displaced. So please pay attention
[3:02:28] to what's happening during these two hearings. That's it. Thank you.
[3:02:38] all right. We'll take it back behind the rail council member
[3:02:42] thrash and took. Thank you so much, mayor. I need a motion a second here too. Oh, uh,
[3:02:46] I moved and it's seconded by, uh, councilwoman rick sodi.
[3:02:50] oh, okay. Great. It's not on my screen. Maybe it's the computer. Go ahead.
[3:02:55] okay. Thank you, mayor. Um, so first of all, I do believe
[3:02:59] that this is a great example of the power of zoning
[3:03:03] and the potential to create new, potentially
[3:03:08] affordable housing at a site, um, that's appropriate in scale
[3:03:12] and size for the community. Um, this particular site as it stands
[3:03:16] today, is completely empty. It's underutilized. There's no
[3:03:20] activity, um, on the site. And given what you've described and shown us,
[3:03:24] uh, directly regarding the mismatch of zoning uses, there is no
[3:03:28] way for a developer to move forward with developing the much needed housing
[3:03:33] that my community has been asking for. So with the zoning change that
[3:03:37] we'll be able to have here tonight, uh, this will turn this asset into
[3:03:41] the city owned asset, into a viable, uh, opportunity for development for
[3:03:45] no less than 60 to 70, uh, community members and maybe, uh,
[3:03:50] families beyond that, um, in the area. So, um, thank you for this.
[3:03:54] um, I look forward to, uh, supporting this motion going forward. Thank
[3:03:58] you. All right. Uh, thank
[3:04:02] you. We'll, now how many votes on this? Three votes.
[3:04:06] three votes. Now go to three votes. So the first vote is
[3:04:10] on the environmental, which is the adoption of the addendum to the peir
[3:04:15] for the lue.
[3:04:25] motion carried. Second
[3:04:29] vote please. The second vote is a resolution approving the city initiated general plan
[3:04:33] map amendment to address the change for the lyme 57 0 5 57 23
[3:04:39] avenue location.
[3:04:46] motion carried final vote. And the last vote is the ordinance
[3:04:50] for the city initiated zoning map change and to adopt those proposed for findings
[3:04:55] related there too. Motion carried.
[3:04:59] alright, thank you. Alright, our final hearing. Uh, we
[3:05:03] have to take care of, uh, hearing item 32,
[3:05:08] report from community development recommendation to receive supporting
[3:05:12] documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing review
[3:05:16] and adopt an addendum to the initial study negative declaration
[3:05:21] for the enhanced density bonus program. Update declare ordinance
[3:05:25] adopting zoning code amendment to update the existing enhanced density bonus
[3:05:30] to align with the provisions of the inclusionary housing ordinance.
[3:05:34] add special bonuses for projects, providing community benefits,
[3:05:39] and implement other procedural and implementation streamlining changes.
[3:05:44] read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the city council
[3:05:48] for final reading and adopt resolution supporting
[3:05:52] a local coastal program amendment to update the existing regulations
[3:05:57] for enhanced density bonus in title 21 and to submit associated
[3:06:02] materials and findings related to changes to the long beach municipal
[3:06:06] code to the california coastal commissions for its review and
[3:06:11] certification citywide.
[3:06:15] right. Let's go through staff presentation please. Okay. We have christian turner
[3:06:19] planner for community development. May we have
[3:06:23] a second please? Thank
[3:06:27] you. Good evening, honorable mayor and members of city council
[3:06:31] before you. Tonight is a zoning code amendment for an update to the regulations to the city's
[3:06:36] local density bonus program known as enhanced density bonus.
[3:06:40] this proposal is an implementation action of our housing element, uh, designed to better align
[3:06:44] the city density bonus incentives with the requirements of our inclusionary
[3:06:49] inclusionary housing ordinance, while also adding special bonuses for projects, providing
[3:06:53] community benefits, and implementing procedural and streamlining changes to
[3:06:57] the city's density bonus program. Before we jump
[3:07:01] into the details of the proposed changes, let's start with square one, defining density
[3:07:06] and density bonus. So, residential density is the number of dwelling units allowed
[3:07:10] on a specific area of land, uh, development standards in the city's land use
[3:07:14] and zoning code documents regulate density and density can be expressed in
[3:07:18] the form of a single number, like 16 units on a parcel or dwelling units
[3:07:22] per acre, like 44 dwelling units per acre. Density bonus, on
[3:07:26] the other hand, is an optional program to allow for an increase in residential density
[3:07:30] beyond what would otherwise be allowed under the current development standards. Uh,
[3:07:35] this includes modification development standards to help a housing project pencil
[3:07:39] out for some background. Uh, the state of california has
[3:07:43] offered a density bonus program since the 1970s, which housing developments anywhere
[3:07:47] in the state can opt into, uh, here in 2021 in long beach, we started
[3:07:51] our own local density bonus program called enhanced density bonus, uh,
[3:07:55] to make mixed income and multifamily housing more viable in the long beach context.
[3:08:00] in 2022, the city adopted its current housing element with a focus on producing
[3:08:04] more housing and more housing at various income levels, including mixed income housing,
[3:08:09] um, and affordable rate, uh, units. And as part of the housing element, we committed
[3:08:13] to studying and proposing updates to our enhanced density bonus program.
[3:08:17] today, as councils aware, uh, we face greater challenges in facilitating more housing
[3:08:21] development, including less federal funding, high interest rates, high
[3:08:26] construction costs, uh, which means that building housing and especially affordable housing,
[3:08:30] continues to be an incredibly expensive endeavor. Uh, we know the
[3:08:34] updates are needed to our existing ordinance, uh, since housing projects are still using
[3:08:38] state density bonus program at a rate of four times our local density bonus
[3:08:42] program. And today we have multiple state density bonus projects, uh, that
[3:08:46] are in construction or have been completed in long beach, while only one enhanced density
[3:08:50] bonus project has got to the building and permit stage. And none have been constructed
[3:08:55] underscoring the need to update our local program,
[3:08:59] but it's not been without significant effort, uh, planning commission. And this city council took great
[3:09:03] strides to adopt and updates to the city's inclusionary housing ordinance last year,
[3:09:08] um, expanding the requirements to be citywide and including a lot more affordability
[3:09:13] required by the ordinance. And these are bold steps, uh, that go hand in hand with today's updates
[3:09:17] to density bonus, uh, density bonus. And inclusionary really can be seen as sibling
[3:09:21] policies that work together. Um, our inclusionary housing ordinance requires,
[3:09:26] uh, housing projects with 10 or more units to include a percentage of affordable units
[3:09:30] based on the project's location. And density bonus is a voluntary program that
[3:09:34] gives a spectrum of benefits to those multifamily housing projects for providing those affordable
[3:09:39] units or for, uh, providing community serving amenities. So how
[3:09:43] does this actually work? Uh, let's think about a hypothetical housing development. Um, say we
[3:09:47] have a piece of land where the base density allows the property owner to build a 30 unit project.
[3:09:52] if you're a visual, uh, learner like me, we can visualize these little blue blocks that
[3:09:56] represent 30 blue, uh, units on the left. So this hypothetical project is over 10
[3:10:00] units, and it requires the inclusion of 12% low income units. So
[3:10:04] now moving to that middle box, this means of those 30 units, four are going
[3:10:09] to be low income. That's, uh, shown in orange in the center diagram. The
[3:10:13] remaining 26 can be market rate. So in exchange for providing those
[3:10:17] four low income units, the property owner can take advantage of a density bonus.
[3:10:21] this is now on the right hand side of the screen. They're eligible for an additional 12 units to
[3:10:25] their project, and they could build all a few or none of those, uh, additional units,
[3:10:29] but it's a benefit available to the project.
[3:10:35] uh, to help ground our effort. In updating our, uh, local density bonus, we analyzed five
[3:10:39] other municipalities that have density bonus programs, uh, the city of la, san
[3:10:44] francisco, culver city, la county, and city of seattle. Some larger, some
[3:10:48] smaller than us. All of the other cities that we researched go
[3:10:52] above and beyond the state density bonus and provide many benefits to projects such
[3:10:56] as including, uh, the benefit for adding two to three additional stories
[3:11:00] in height, waiving parking minimums, streamlining the permit process for the
[3:11:04] affordable housing among any many other things. All of them also
[3:11:08] give special bonuses for amenities like childcare facilities or public open space
[3:11:13] or neighborhood serving commercial uses, uh, for those projects.
[3:11:17] as you're aware, the city has continued obligation to do more to facilitated housing at
[3:11:22] all levels, especially affordable housing, um, on our regional housing needs assessment.
[3:11:26] as you know, we're halfway through our, uh, eight year arena and we've only, uh,
[3:11:31] permitted about a quarter of the overall housing need. And of that only 6% has
[3:11:35] been for our affordable housing target, um, indicating that we are significantly
[3:11:39] behind on, uh, facilitating the process of more affordable housing. And
[3:11:44] enhanced density bonus seeks to address this head on. Um, in
[3:11:48] addition to talking with staff and having focus groups, uh, with key stakeholders, we spent a lot
[3:11:52] of time over the past year talking to residents. We tabled at community events, we
[3:11:56] hosted two workshops, um, did some stakeholder interviews and enhanced
[3:12:00] density bonus took center stage at, uh, two big open houses that the planning bureau
[3:12:04] did, focusing on housing policy, one in the fall, one in the spring. Uh, of
[3:12:09] those two events, we had over 161 attendees and we also received
[3:12:13] over 156 written comments over the course of the year. Um, in addition, again,
[3:12:17] to dozens of conversations with residents on the ordinance. Um, a detailed report
[3:12:21] of those comments are included, um, as an attachment. Um, and I'll summarize those
[3:12:25] 50 pages here. Um, there's a lot of support for improving the usefulness of the,
[3:12:30] the policy. There's a desire to increase affordable housing and affordability requirements
[3:12:34] concerns over the impact of parking availability, concerns over the preservation of
[3:12:38] historic, uh, character and density increases in single family neighborhoods.
[3:12:42] we received a lot of ideas of support for more special bonuses, particularly,
[3:12:47] uh, for housing in proximity to parks and community members also
[3:12:51] underscored the need for increased bonuses for all affordability levels.
[3:12:56] um, so let's talk about those special bonuses. Um, currently we have the opportunity
[3:13:00] for developers to tap into special bonuses, um, for developments
[3:13:04] that are including larger bedrooms that accommodate families or projects that build onsite,
[3:13:09] uh, childcare. And so the proposed ordinance would add new special bonuses
[3:13:13] for projects that are doing any of the following, uh, locating within a thousand feet of a
[3:13:17] park, removing a nuisance property, um, projects that are providing senior housing
[3:13:22] projects with an active ground floor use like a restaurant or a grocery store. Projects
[3:13:26] that adhere to higher labor standards that are encouraged by the state, like using,
[3:13:30] uh, union labor or prevailing wage. The ordinance also
[3:13:34] includes some technical cleanups to improve the usability of the ordinance and clarify, um,
[3:13:38] and ensure compliance requirements, um, with added bonuses tailored to for sale
[3:13:42] projects, which comply with our inclusionary housing requirements.
[3:13:47] this project, uh, was noticed in accordance with the municipal code requirements, including
[3:13:51] the press, telegram, um, posting in public places and libraries. Um, and since
[3:13:55] publishing of the hearing notice staff have received three public comments in support, um,
[3:13:59] environmental review. Um, we had an addendum to the previously approved in initial
[3:14:03] study and negative declaration, which was prepared and included in your hearing
[3:14:08] materials and staff recommends the council approve,
[3:14:12] uh, the ordinance update and corresponding resolution for the environmental review, uh, of the project
[3:14:16] and submit to the california coastal commission at a future time. Thank you.
[3:14:23] alright, that concludes our presentation. We have one member of the public signed up to speak
[3:14:27] rogelio
[3:14:34] rogelio martinez, north long beach resident district nine.
[3:14:41] so at what cost, because in
[3:14:45] the report you referenced that we are only meeting 25%
[3:14:50] of our arena num target, uh, which
[3:14:55] concludes on 2029. So at what cost
[3:14:59] to the taxpayer, meaning do we lose some kind of government
[3:15:03] funding for not meeting that, that target?
[3:15:08] does it cost us money out of our pocket? What's the
[3:15:12] cost of not meeting that arena? Number, number
[3:15:16] two, um, the person that did the presentation
[3:15:20] was a planner, number four, that was the title. If that
[3:15:24] was your idea with the blocks, the yellow and the blue blocks,
[3:15:29] that was outstanding because most people are visual. So
[3:15:33] if that was your idea, good job on that. Thank you.
[3:15:37] special bonuses. I didn't hear things like an innovative
[3:15:42] idea, which is not new. It's not something that I invented, but I should have heard
[3:15:46] in special bonuses, property tax subsidies.
[3:15:52] what I didn't hear in the presentation was as a special bonus,
[3:15:57] streamline permitting process for set projects because
[3:16:01] of permitting in our city. I don't have to tell you, but it sucks.
[3:16:08] and then lastly, as a special bonus, what about the residents of
[3:16:13] long beach? There should be a special bonus for hiring
[3:16:17] general contractors that live in the city, subcontractor
[3:16:22] subcontractors that live in the city. We need to put people to
[3:16:26] work. That's all I have.
[3:16:35] that concludes public comment. Taking it back behind the rail.
[3:16:39] let's see. Council member thrash into, thank you so much, mayor.
[3:16:43] um, so I really consider this to be a very innovative
[3:16:47] way to really think about how we continue to add units, um, to
[3:16:52] our housing stock within the city. Um, so thank you for taking the time to both
[3:16:56] visually share that with the community, um, in the way that you did and for the staff
[3:17:00] and all that is necessary in order to optimize this code. Uh, while this has been
[3:17:04] a long set of hearings, I'm really pleased tonight that I feel like we're making great
[3:17:09] progress on our housing, uh, element and our goals accordingly.
[3:17:13] uh, so we were able to start with looking at zone in and one part of our city
[3:17:17] that is a high opportunity part of our city, uh, which is a great place
[3:17:21] to put housing for families that needed most. Then we went to a
[3:17:25] specific site specifically within my district that I'm very excited about bringing housing,
[3:17:30] uh, to that site and activating an underutilized and vacant site.
[3:17:34] and then finally here we have the enhanced, uh, density bonus,
[3:17:38] which will allow us to be able to make a number of sites much more attractive,
[3:17:43] um, to developers without having to add any additional dollars
[3:17:48] to, uh, development. So I think that, um, you know,
[3:17:52] this again, is just a great way to think about whatever our long-term strategy is.
[3:17:57] um, do all we can to get towards, uh, hitting our arena goals, if not exceeding
[3:18:01] them, uh, by the time we get to the end of the time period. And I look
[3:18:05] forward to supporting this motion. Thank you. Thank
[3:18:10] you. Council member sorrow. Yeah, I wanna add my support to this item. I too, wanna reiterate.
[3:18:14] that was a great presentation, but I will note that you may wanna change the
[3:18:18] colors to like gradients because there are people who are colorblind
[3:18:22] that can't see those colors. So just for consideration. But that was a great explanation.
[3:18:27] uh, I just wanted to reiterate again how, um, great it is that,
[3:18:32] uh, you know, our department, uh, planners are thoughtful in ways that we can incentivize
[3:18:37] development throughout our city so that they're not all in one
[3:18:41] area. Uh, I've shared this before because, uh, we do need to meet arena
[3:18:45] goal. Uh, can you re can you share again why it's so important
[3:18:49] to meet arena goals? Uh, not only because it addressed the need
[3:18:54] for housing that we see today, um, but other reasons. Right,
[3:18:59] right. So there's kind of some key reasons that rena is important. So the first one
[3:19:03] really has nothing to do with arena. It has to do with the people that live in our city.
[3:19:07] and we are a, uh, majority renter city.
[3:19:11] and most of those renters are cost burdened. Some of them are severely
[3:19:15] cost burdened, meaning they're paying a very high proportion of their income as rent. Many
[3:19:20] of them are also experiencing overcrowding and some are both experiencing
[3:19:24] overcrowding and substandard conditions, living in conditions that don't
[3:19:29] provide them, um, the safety and dignity that we would all expect of,
[3:19:33] um, the housing. And we can't improve any of that
[3:19:37] situation without producing more housing. So that's sort of the first reason. The second reason is
[3:19:41] legally we are required to facilitate
[3:19:45] the full arena allocation that we receive from the state. So the word
[3:19:49] is facilitate. We don't control the market. Um, and
[3:19:54] there's not a specific consequence to not meeting the arena
[3:19:59] if we do everything necessary to facilitate
[3:20:03] the market being able to provide that. So that means we provide available sites. We
[3:20:07] have a process that makes sense and works. We have bonuses such as the item
[3:20:11] tonight. We have appropriate zoning such as the, the item before this. Um, so
[3:20:15] that's kind of a second one. And then the third is if we're
[3:20:19] not taking those steps, um, we would first get a warning and then we would
[3:20:23] get a legal action and eventually we would lose all of our
[3:20:27] ability to control the development, uh, in our city. Um,
[3:20:31] and we would have our housing element de certified, and then we would be subject to what's
[3:20:36] called builder's remedy, which is not an abstract thing. It's happened in santa monica,
[3:20:40] it's happened in beverly hills. It's, uh, where a developer comes in
[3:20:44] and says, this is my piece of land and I'm not dealing with you city. I'm gonna send you a letter
[3:20:48] and I'm gonna, the state's gonna approve my project. And it happens. That's not something we want to
[3:20:52] happen here in our city. So we want to plan for growth, we want to
[3:20:57] think about it, we wanna do it neighborhood by neighborhood. Um, but ultimately we do need
[3:21:01] to facilitate that amount of growth that is designated by the state. Thank you.
[3:21:05] I appreciate the overview and why it's so important we meet arena numbers.
[3:21:11] thank you. And, and I'll tell you, I I was chair of scag
[3:21:15] during this arena cycle. Important to know growth is gonna
[3:21:19] happen one way or another. The only question is, is
[3:21:23] will it happen in a way that is planned and thoughtful and safe
[3:21:27] or in a way that is haphazard where you have overcrowding
[3:21:31] illegally converted garages, um, uh, building codes
[3:21:36] that are not met, um, things that are unsafe. So that's incredibly important that
[3:21:40] we plan, we plan for our growth. Now on this one thing I wanna highlight,
[3:21:44] and thank you, you, um, thank you mr. Kunz for reminding me of this.
[3:21:48] we're taking a big step here, and this is
[3:21:52] our first thing that we've done from a land use standpoint to incentivize
[3:21:56] labor standards to ensure construction. There's an incentive to ensure that
[3:22:00] construction, 'cause we hear a lot about, um, bad contractors. We hear
[3:22:04] a lot of public comment about that. We're ensuring there are labor standards and housing that is built.
[3:22:09] and this is for the very first time we're adding labor standards. And how many, how many jurisdictions
[3:22:13] have actually successfully added labor standards to, uh, enhanced density bonuses,
[3:22:18] right? So, uh, we're attaching, uh, a specific
[3:22:22] bonus for using our skilled and trade labor partners. Um, I believe
[3:22:26] we're the first city to take this specific approach. Um, the city of berkeley tried it
[3:22:31] a different way that, uh, maybe wasn't fully acceptable or
[3:22:35] realized. Um, so what we're trying to do, we've, we've heard a lot from communities and
[3:22:39] from our labor partners that this is important and, and we agree, but you can't
[3:22:43] usually attach a zoning requirement to a labor standard 'cause we're
[3:22:48] preempted by the state, right? So by attaching it to an incentive, we're
[3:22:52] creating a market incentive for developers and property owners to make the choice
[3:22:56] to use one of our skilled and trade, um, trained, um, labor
[3:23:00] partners, um, you know, our, our talented carpenters and pipe
[3:23:04] fitters and laborers. Um, so we're creating that opportunity. So we'll be
[3:23:08] the first to do that. I also think we're one of the first, um, jurisdictions
[3:23:12] in the state. Um, we have a nuisance bonus. So we have a lot
[3:23:16] of uses that are not great for our communities. We have too many liquor stores
[3:23:20] in our city. Um, we have other kind of nuisance
[3:23:24] uses. If you remove one of those uses, you'll be eligible for an additional bonus.
[3:23:29] so we're trying to create the financial incentive for some of those problem uses to go
[3:23:33] away. So I think that's a great example of leveraging
[3:23:37] incentives and land use to create, um, improvements
[3:23:41] in quality of life. Uh, ensure that these nuisances that didn't,
[3:23:45] you know, they came from haphazard planning in the past, were addressing those challenges
[3:23:49] and creating opportunities for real quality of life, neighborhood serving
[3:23:54] amenities and housing, while also we once
[3:23:58] again are the first city, uh, to be able to innovatively
[3:24:03] apply labor standards. So you have things like local hire and a living wage
[3:24:08] as we build housing in our community. And so those, those are two really incredibly
[3:24:12] important, um, uh, notes that I thought needed to be highlighted a bit. Uh,
[3:24:17] but thank you christopher and thank you for the, to the community for, for pushing us
[3:24:21] to be innovative in this, um, in this standard. Thank you so much. Okay.
[3:24:25] so there's no more comments from the council. How many votes do we have here? Three votes. Three
[3:24:29] more votes. Let's go ahead and move to the votes. First vote please. First vote is
[3:24:33] on the addendum to the initial study in negative declaration that was adopted wind city first
[3:24:37] repaired the enhanced density bonus. Motion is
[3:24:41] carried. Second vote please. The second vote is on the ordinance, adopting
[3:24:49] the changes to municipal code section 21 on the enhanced
[3:24:53] density bonus section.
[3:25:00] motion is carried third vote. And the third vote is on
[3:25:04] the resolution to send the new, uh, regulations for enhanced density
[3:25:08] bonus as an update to r-l-c-p-a to the local coastal
[3:25:13] program. Amendment over to the coastal commission.
[3:25:22] oh, sorry. Motion is carried. Alright, well that concludes,
[3:25:27] uh, our hearings. We'll now move to item 49,
[3:25:35] communication from councilwoman thresh tu vice mayor uranga councilwoman zendejas
[3:25:39] recommendation to conduct a feasibility analysis of the community violence intervention
[3:25:44] and prevention recommendations outlined in the 2025 long
[3:25:48] beach community safety roadmap report and report back to the city council within
[3:25:52] 60 days. Alright, so, uh,
[3:25:56] I wanna thank everyone for being patient when it comes to hearings. We have very little flexibility
[3:26:01] when they're noticed publicly. This item was added after the agenda was set.
[3:26:05] um, but we are now here. I'm gonna pass it to, um, uh, council
[3:26:10] member thrash and to, to begin the presentation. Thank you so much. Uh, I
[3:26:14] too wanna thank the community for staying. I know, um, that it was a long
[3:26:18] meeting today. Um, but this is an important topic and I thank you all for, uh,
[3:26:22] continuing to stick with it. Uh, so tonight, uh, I'm bringing forth
[3:26:26] an item, uh, where we talked earlier in our meeting about, uh, gun
[3:26:31] violence and violence prevention within our community. Uh, some,
[3:26:35] I think some of you know, just recently we lost a 15-year-old, uh, young
[3:26:39] man, uh, who, uh, lost his life to gun violence, uh, within our city
[3:26:43] in, in particular within my district. Um, this is
[3:26:47] a tragic, uh, headline that impacts our schools and our neighborhoods
[3:26:51] and our community. And while this reflects a loss, uh, we
[3:26:55] do wanna reflect on the fact that we have had over the past several years,
[3:27:00] uh, a response to our community regarding that. And I wanna thank chief
[3:27:04] ish and the long beach police department along with community leaders who are here
[3:27:08] today, who we had a chance to honor for all of your tireless
[3:27:12] work and efforts to ensure that we continue to have a five year
[3:27:16] historical low and violent crime within our city. This
[3:27:20] is progress. Um, however, we also wanna recognize that frontline
[3:27:25] officers alone cannot manage the systematic societal crises
[3:27:30] that fall outside the scope of traditional policing. Enforcement
[3:27:34] is a tool, but it that as a tool alone, can resolve the root
[3:27:38] conditions that drive someone to pick up a weapon and
[3:27:42] engage in communities. We have before us.
[3:27:46] the 2026 portrait of los angeles county, which has confirmed
[3:27:50] what residents have already know, was shared earlier in the presentation,
[3:27:54] that too many youth in our city feel disconnected, especially sometimes in
[3:27:58] the southwest part of our city, the north port areas and parts
[3:28:03] of central long beach. Uh, more than 20% express feeling that way,
[3:28:07] one in five young people either not working or not in school.
[3:28:11] this demands a systematic response. Uh, so to build on that,
[3:28:15] I've been asking how can we obtain information from
[3:28:20] the community and understand what's happening, uh, within,
[3:28:24] uh, our communities. Sometimes the attention grabbing media ecosystems
[3:28:28] is, is hard to, to break through. And we cannot expect that community
[3:28:33] members will be able to access a flyer from city hall or
[3:28:37] any other way that we typically communicate. We wanna meet the community
[3:28:41] where they are. That's precisely why it's so important that
[3:28:45] we have credible messengers within community. I know I certainly have
[3:28:49] had conversations with several of them, uh, since the incident in, in my community
[3:28:54] to better understand how we create a bridge, um, and make sure
[3:28:58] that we close those gaps accordingly. We also find that some in
[3:29:02] our community don't feel safe going ahead and reporting crime that is
[3:29:06] happening. We also know that in our community and across the city,
[3:29:11] um, strong beach and initiative known as standing together to reach our next
[3:29:15] generation, um, has been operating for several years and has helped
[3:29:19] to ensure that our summers are as cool as possible, uh, within
[3:29:23] long beach. But we wanna make sure that that work, uh, continues
[3:29:27] to move forward. So with 10, uh, with tonight's, uh, request,
[3:29:31] and I wanna thank my colleagues, uh, vice mayor uranga, along with
[3:29:36] council member zendejas for their support. I'm asking
[3:29:40] us to take a look at how we identify ways to ensure
[3:29:44] that there's cross communication among the various departments from police
[3:29:48] to public health, um, our local hospitals who you saw out here tonight,
[3:29:52] and others who are local community organizations to make sure we have a
[3:29:56] community centered approach. And then second, we know we've
[3:30:00] got budget challenges coming up, but I'm hoping that we'll be able to look at
[3:30:05] a pathway towards identifying funding to continue to support this work
[3:30:09] in the future when resources do become available accordingly.
[3:30:14] so with um, the world looking at long beach and all that we
[3:30:18] have been doing, I wanna make sure that with every resident and every zip
[3:30:22] code, um, has an opportunity to focus on safety within our
[3:30:26] community. And I'm asking for our city manager to report back, um, in 60
[3:30:31] days regarding the feasibility of moving forward with a pathway
[3:30:35] towards continuing to support this work as resources become available.
[3:30:39] thank you. Alright, thank you.
[3:30:44] we'll go to council members zendejas. Thank you
[3:30:48] councilwoman thrash and for inviting me to co-sponsor on
[3:30:52] this very important item. And thank you to vice mayor for also
[3:30:56] signing on to this. Um, community violence must be addressed
[3:31:00] through both intervention and prevention. The 2025
[3:31:05] long beach community safety roadmap reports outlines
[3:31:09] both data and strategic recommendations to sustain and
[3:31:14] inforce reductions in crime and violence in
[3:31:18] our city of long beach. Public safety in every neighborhood
[3:31:23] of long beach must remain a priority. I am in strong
[3:31:27] support of this request for visibility study
[3:31:31] of the cvip recommendations and will
[3:31:35] look forward to hearing a report back.
[3:31:42] alright, thank you. Uh, account vice mayor yanga.
[3:31:47] thank you. And I wanna thank, uh, customer national
[3:31:51] talk and for saying I took this as well myself.
[3:31:56] it's unfortunate that we have to look at what's
[3:32:00] going on in our communities to create something like this. I unfortunate
[3:32:04] neighborhood. We don't have to where we have safe streets, safe neighborhoods,
[3:32:10] kids can walk to school at home without any worries.
[3:32:16] and so based on that, I strongly support ms. Adam. I look
[3:32:20] forward to, uh, the study when it comes out.
[3:32:24] thank you. Thank you. Council
[3:32:28] member rick sodi. Thank you mayor. I'm also in strong support, um, of this particular,
[3:32:32] um, uh, this particular item. Um, I'm really looking forward to the report back. Uh,
[3:32:37] my only question would be, uh, 60 days from now we'll put a squarely in the middle
[3:32:41] of the budget process. So I just wanted to know if the maker of the motion might consider
[3:32:45] giving staff a little bit more time. 'cause this is gonna be pretty comprehensive. And I would like,
[3:32:50] uh, this report, um, to really take into, um, into
[3:32:54] consideration all the elements that are in this particular report.
[3:33:00] the last time we had a matter like this, we brought something back in 30 days. Um,
[3:33:04] I recognize that we are, you know, in the middle of budget season about
[3:33:08] that time, uh, with 75 days be
[3:33:13] you didn't have a specification. I didn't, I didn't have a specific question because I I have suggestion on how
[3:33:17] to handle it. I mean, what was that? I have a suggestion on how to handle it. Oh,
[3:33:21] okay. Well, in terms of timing, join the conversation. Sure. Um,
[3:33:26] so this summer's was adopted in the last fiscal year's budget. So this summer's,
[3:33:30] um, plan is already been funded for this upcoming
[3:33:34] summer. This next summer will be a part of the fy
[3:33:38] 27 budget. So just make it a part of conversations and discussions for fy
[3:33:42] 27 instead of a, a deadline in the middle of the budget process. 'cause that hasn't be,
[3:33:46] doesn't have to be done until september 15th. So, um,
[3:33:51] that would put us four or five months out from now. Well, that's the only time you
[3:33:55] can appropriate any money anyway. No, no. I'm talking about the report back.
[3:34:00] I, I think, uh, is your idea to do a report back and make and consider anything for
[3:34:04] the next, this upcoming budget for yes. For next year, then not, I think the appropriate
[3:34:08] motion would be make place it in consideration for this upcoming budget
[3:34:12] discussion. What does that mean in terms of timeframe? You're, you're specifically saying
[3:34:16] september? Yeah. You know, let's bring tom in. Tom, I think the idea here,
[3:34:21] yeah, I, I think you're all saying the same thing and I think it all will work out in the 75 day range.
[3:34:25] that'll be right around september 1st, which is right when you're gonna be doing adoption of budget. Right.
[3:34:29] um, so, uh, we have put some of this information out in, um, in a memo
[3:34:33] already in march, at least some of the, the efforts. We can then take a look at this report.
[3:34:37] I, we haven't really had a chance to look at it yet, so I don't know what level of of work it'll take due
[3:34:41] to the feasibility. We can certainly come back in that 75 days and also talk then about
[3:34:45] what's in the budget and then the council can make some recommendations there. And I, as I understand
[3:34:50] ten's point, it's to also look, you know, knowing that this year is gonna be rough, that we're
[3:34:54] not gonna have a lot of resources, how do we start positioning ourselves for other funding beyond that?
[3:34:58] which I think is a good discussion as part of the budget as well. So I think, so I think
[3:35:02] the best way is to, rather than say an arbitrary 60 days or 75 days
[3:35:06] or whatever it is, make it a part of the adoption of the upcoming budget,
[3:35:11] the consideration, um, of the data that you're, you're factoring.
[3:35:15] I don't feel as comfortable with that mayor. I would prefer 75 days. I'm
[3:35:20] very comfortable with that, with the intent of it being part of the upcoming
[3:35:24] budget conversation. Alright, . So that, that
[3:35:28] would be my motion. So you, you want to give a deadline that comes after we adopt the budget.
[3:35:33] okay. Alright. We'll just go with 75 days leave. 75 will actually be right
[3:35:37] before we adopt the budget. Okay. So I think, again, I think we'll get the report. That's fine. We'll get the report right before
[3:35:41] we adopt the budget. That makes a whole lot of sense. Okay. Thank you.
[3:35:46] uh, secondary, I'm assuming is comfortable with that.
[3:35:54] alright. Uh, we're now gonna go to public comment. Um, I'm gonna
[3:35:59] read the names, if you're still here, just make your way to the front. Valerie cruz,
[3:36:04] um, aya williams, eli gomez perez, joshua lopez.
[3:36:09] ja. Jacob castanos, no, samoa.
[3:36:14] andrew hanno, israel ornelis junior.
[3:36:19] mia, uh, edrick salgado, sergio garcia,
[3:36:23] emma ludo, dr. Lydia holly, leonard adams,
[3:36:27] and rogelio martinez. If you heard your name, please come forward.
[3:36:32] thank you. You you're good. Please come forward.
[3:36:36] good evening, mayor and city council. My name is valerie cruz and I am a longtime
[3:36:41] resident of district seven and also a community intervention worker with safe passages
[3:36:45] on the west side of long beach. Growing up in west long beach, I have seen firsthand how
[3:36:50] violence affected not only myself, but young people, families, and neighborhoods.
[3:36:54] today I am proud to be a part of the solution through my work with
[3:36:58] west long beach safe passages at cabrio high school, where I build relationships, support
[3:37:02] students, and prevent conflicts before they escalate. The one long beach report highlights
[3:37:07] the importance of investing in communities most impacted by violence
[3:37:11] as both a resident and someone who serves west long beach. I have seen that
[3:37:15] prevention works when it's led by trusted community members who understand
[3:37:20] the challenges our neighborhoods face programs like safe passages and community
[3:37:24] intervention and community violence intervention
[3:37:28] help create safer schools, stronger relationships and opportunities
[3:37:32] for youth to thrive. I encourage the city to continue investing
[3:37:36] in these proven community-based solutions because
[3:37:40] when we invest in prevention, we invest in the youth and we invest, I'm
[3:37:44] sorry. And the future for long beach. Thank you for your time.
[3:37:50] thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, mayor, uh,
[3:37:54] richardson and, uh, city council. My name's, uh, librado. I went
[3:37:58] with junior because it's hard to roll the rs. So I say junior, we, they all call me my colleagues
[3:38:02] homie me. Uh, uh, junior. Anyhow, um, I'm a
[3:38:07] native, uh, of long beach. I lived all over every district here in long,
[3:38:11] in the city of long beach. Um, I'm also system impacted. I was
[3:38:15] released from state prison, uh, january 20, uh, 13th, 2023.
[3:38:19] and when I was arrested, I did 31 years, two months. When I, when I left
[3:38:24] in 1994, um, long beach was upside down. It
[3:38:28] was bad, um, coming back. Um, it's the same
[3:38:32] way. It's the, we, we, we really need the cbi.
[3:38:36] um, here. Um, one of the things that, um,
[3:38:41] this is why cbi must be centered in lived experience. It is essential to making
[3:38:45] this work effective in the neighborhoods most impacted by violence. Investing
[3:38:49] in the one long beach cvi pi collaborative ensures that people with lived experience
[3:38:54] are part of the solution and that this work continues where it is needed most.
[3:38:58] if we are serious about reducing violence, we must invest in those closest to it.
[3:39:03] and I appreciate you guys hearing us out. Thank you.
[3:39:07] thank you. Uh, next speaker, please.
[3:39:11] good evening, mayor coun, mayor, council members and community members. I'm
[3:39:15] speaking on behalf of a youth who actually had to step away for finals.
[3:39:20] my, my name is eli ali gomez perez. I attend
[3:39:24] jordan high school in the 9 0 8 0 5 zip code, and I'm proud to represent council
[3:39:28] me council district eight. Growing up in my community, I was,
[3:39:32] was surrounded by challenges that taught me my resilience and the importance of community.
[3:39:37] from grant elementary to lindbergh middle school, middle school, and now jordan high
[3:39:41] school, I have learned that everyone has their own story and struggles to overcome.
[3:39:45] I joined the youth mentorship program because I wanted to give back to my community.
[3:39:50] through ro cha, I have built valuable connections, developed my leadership
[3:39:54] skills, and gained opportunities to use my voice, including being able to
[3:39:58] speak here today. The program has shown me that young
[3:40:02] people can make a positive impact in their communities. I have a vision for the
[3:40:06] city, for a city grounded in equality, justice, unity, and safety.
[3:40:11] this is why I support the one long beach safety roadmap. This report is more,
[3:40:15] more than data. It reflects the real young people and communities.
[3:40:19] continued investment in youth programs provides opportunities, mentorship
[3:40:23] and alternatives to violence, helping create a stronger, more prosperous long beach.
[3:40:27] thank you.
[3:40:33] hi. I'm also gonna be reading on behalf of some of the youth who are present. Um,
[3:40:37] I do wanna say that moving forward, we would like for council to be mindful when youth are president
[3:40:41] at city hall because a lot of the youth are very excited to speak today, but unfortunately, they had
[3:40:45] to leave because they're promoting tomorrow graduating or its finals week. So
[3:40:49] we want to ensure that their voices are seen and heard. This is, um, for joshua lopez.
[3:40:54] hi, my name is joshua lopez. I live in the washington neighborhood and I go to
[3:40:58] washington middle school and I am 13 years old. I have lived in washington, in the
[3:41:03] washington neighborhood my whole life and have heard shootings a block
[3:41:07] from my home. I see gang graffiti all over the neighborhood. However,
[3:41:11] there are some good sides. One positive is the 14th street basketball
[3:41:15] courts that we as books and buckets help get done. I've seen
[3:41:19] the courts get more activated since then and hope it helps bring people
[3:41:23] together. What has helped me stay away from violence is hanging out with friends and
[3:41:27] mentors who look out for me. Not all kids in my neighborhoods have the same
[3:41:31] support I do. I ask for the city to fund violence prevention
[3:41:35] programs. The next youth is
[3:41:40] noe. Um, I go to washington middle school. I am 13
[3:41:44] years old. I live in, in long beach, california, just outside the washington neighborhood.
[3:41:48] growing up in long beach, I'm going to school here. Um, I've seen fights
[3:41:53] among people. I've seen my own friends get jumped, robbed, got into a car crash
[3:41:57] and almost die. I have men mentors at, um, violence prevention programs
[3:42:01] like books and buckets who encouraged me to stay out of trouble. And I have helped me
[3:42:06] get better with education. In addition, seeing the experiences of
[3:42:10] my friend, um, has helped me avoid this, that lifestyle. Some
[3:42:14] things I've asked, I ask of the city is if you can support funding, violence prevention
[3:42:18] programs and to continue planning the washington neighborhood community center.
[3:42:23] next I have, um, jacob castellanos. Hello, council members. My name is
[3:42:27] jacob castellanos. I am 13 years old. I go to washington middle school.
[3:42:32] I currently live in district one. Growing up, I've seen a lot
[3:42:36] of gang violence. I've seen someone get shot and shot
[3:42:40] and passed away right in front of my house at the age of 10. Many of
[3:42:44] these events could have let me down the wrong path, but being
[3:42:48] surrounded by my family and my sister who is in college makes me want,
[3:42:52] want to do better. Surrounded by people like, um, edrick and others.
[3:42:56] help me stay focused on and on the right path. Being
[3:43:00] supported by programs like books and buckets. I feel I feel very supported.
[3:43:05] I feel very, very important for our future and for me. I hope that the
[3:43:09] city of long beach can help fund violence, prevention, and youth programs to help. It
[3:43:14] keeps, keep it safe and do, um, better to support kids like,
[3:43:18] um, joshua and, and
[3:43:22] someone else. I couldn't read that. Thank you. Um, the next youth
[3:43:26] I have is israel. Um, hi, my name is israel junior.
[3:43:31] um, I am 14 years old. I go to washington middle school and I lived,
[3:43:35] I live in the washington neighborhood. Growing up in the city, I am, um, no stranger
[3:43:39] to violence. I've seen police chase a member of a local gang for
[3:43:43] shooting rivals. Just last year I was helping my dad take out stuff
[3:43:47] from the trunk of his car and witness a drive-by shooting right across the street
[3:43:51] from me. Joining a program like, um, called books and buckets has helped me not
[3:43:56] engage in this type of violence. It has helped me by staying out of
[3:44:00] trouble and encouraged me to live better, um, a better life. In
[3:44:04] addition, I have found several passions that also helped me stay out of trouble,
[3:44:08] like fishing, biking, and playing sports. I asked the city to fund violence prevention
[3:44:13] program so more youth can, uh, like me, can find better ways to live and find
[3:44:17] their own passions. Lastly, I have edrick salgado.
[3:44:21] hello everyone. My name is edrick salgado. I grew up in the washington neighborhood
[3:44:25] and now live across the street from poly. I currently live
[3:44:29] I current. I am currently in the youth advisory council of long beach and I also work
[3:44:34] for parks and recs. I graduated from long beach city. Um, I
[3:44:38] graduate from long beach city college with my associate's degree in two days.
[3:44:43] when I was three years old, I saw one of my brother's friends pass
[3:44:47] away at 13 due to gang violence. I remember seeing him lying on the ground
[3:44:51] and my mom picking him up to take him to the hospital. I remember seeing him in
[3:44:55] the backseat, bleeding and going in and out of consciousness as he took
[3:44:59] his last breath. Growing up, I have been accustomed to violence my whole life.
[3:45:04] just a year after that, I remember being at home, having a barbecue
[3:45:08] and a van pulls up and a drive-by shooting occurred. I remember my sister
[3:45:12] grabbing me and running inside as we laid down on the floor, ducking over, um,
[3:45:16] for cover. Windows were broken. In the moments later, a helicopter light
[3:45:21] flashed in our homes. As I've grown up, I've seen the same things occurring.
[3:45:25] kids are still joining gangs and going down the wrong path with no hope or future.
[3:45:30] when I turned 18, I remember hearing about a program called books and buckets
[3:45:34] at the fir at first, coming from where I'm from, I thought it
[3:45:39] was weird and corny to be part of something so positive. But soon I
[3:45:43] realized that the importance of helping your community and making changes and differences,
[3:45:47] inspiring kids who come from the same struggle like you today, I mentor
[3:45:52] and support and help, um, be a role model for about 12 youth
[3:45:56] today. In addition to advancing advocating for violence, um, prevention,
[3:46:00] funding, I would like to see more focus and investment in mentorship programs for youth.
[3:46:05] one that understand where I come from, what we deal with, what we face,
[3:46:09] and what we go through every day. Thank you.
[3:46:15] alright, thank you. Next speaker, please. Um, I have
[3:46:19] a, my final tomorrow, so, but I'm here. Okay.
[3:46:23] um, good afternoon. Thanks, sustain afternoon everyone. My name is emma
[3:46:27] lugar. I'm a freshman at long beach poly high school. Growing
[3:46:32] up in district six meant going to sleep with sirens and helicopters
[3:46:37] every day, walking to school, seeing homeless
[3:46:41] people at every corner on the streets and construction on the
[3:46:45] sidewalk. That made it complicated for people with disabilities to cross the street.
[3:46:49] like my dad with his walker. However, I have been lucky enough to have
[3:46:53] access to community resources such as a family learning center
[3:46:58] at burnett neighborhood library shadow ms. Lala, she helped me write this,
[3:47:02] um, the librarian community food banks and programs like e em three,
[3:47:07] em three has taught me to advocate and uplift my community, gain leadership skills
[3:47:11] and expose me to new cultures and meet new people. Em three supports me in
[3:47:15] other youth to create a positive environment and participate in outreach events
[3:47:20] in the community like the cambodia town parade because it exposed to
[3:47:24] new cultures and coming together as one investments in
[3:47:28] youth creates positive outcomes and provides alternatives to violence
[3:47:32] by creating and fostering youth mental health, mentorship skills,
[3:47:37] pathways to careers, learning resources and so much more, which are alternatives
[3:47:41] to violence for youth who are in an unhealthy environment. Programs like em
[3:47:45] three are important in our community. So youth like me don't continue the cycle of violence.
[3:47:49] thank you. Thank you. Next
[3:47:53] speaker, please. Um,
[3:47:58] good evening. I'm reading on behalf of kaia, our youth speaker who was present but had
[3:48:02] say at home. Um, good evening, honor mayor and city council.
[3:48:06] my name is kaia williams and I am a student at cillo high school, raised in
[3:48:10] district one. Growing up, I was surrounded by violence and destructive behaviors who normalized
[3:48:15] looking for an afterschool activity. I joined the safe passage program and
[3:48:19] it completely changed my life. Safe passage has taught me critical life skills
[3:48:23] such as stop the bleed, and what healthy versus unhealthy relationships look
[3:48:27] like. Safe passage is providing me very, my my very first
[3:48:31] job. Most importantly, the me, the mentors
[3:48:35] providing came from my neighborhood. They proved to me that
[3:48:40] the zip codes, um, does not define my future. Because of their encouragement,
[3:48:44] I became a voice for my peers, join new clubs and pursue new opportunities.
[3:48:48] my journey is even prove that investing in youth programs work
[3:48:53] I will not have confidence. I will not have the confidence to stand here today without
[3:48:57] safe passages. Please continue to investigate in our youth. So next in narration,
[3:49:01] get the same life changing opportunities. Thank you. Thank
[3:49:05] you. Next speaker please.
[3:49:10] thank you mr. Mayor. Members of the city council. Uh, four
[3:49:14] points, uh, the resilience unity social justice mural that
[3:49:19] memorializes the death of our, uh, loved ones from
[3:49:23] homicides in the city of long beach. It's located at 65 89
[3:49:27] myrtle avenue along artesia boulevard. I don't know how many of you have
[3:49:31] been there to see it. This memorial epitomizes the lived
[3:49:35] experiences of the collective community whose family members' blood
[3:49:40] flowed on the streets of this city. Despite our tireless efforts
[3:49:44] to decrease risk factors that significantly contribute to
[3:49:48] their demise. Justice for murdered children urges you
[3:49:52] to visit the, the more the, the mural and see the names who
[3:49:57] represent real human beings and who are once your constituency.
[3:50:02] for the past 66 years, uh, uh, since
[3:50:06] 1967, the collective community has been consistently
[3:50:10] engaged in willful and, uh, unrelenting efforts to
[3:50:14] uplift all key constituencies to reduce violence, save
[3:50:18] lives, and peacefully coexist with mutual respect.
[3:50:23] the precedent for you to provide structured funding
[3:50:27] for the recommendations that have been articulated is what the
[3:50:31] human dignity program under beverly o'neill, who was the president,
[3:50:36] uh, excuse me, of the, the, uh, mayor at that time. So there
[3:50:40] is already a precedent for providing structured funding. No
[3:50:44] more one time that'll do it. No more if we can. None
[3:50:48] of that. Ma'am, your time's concluded funding to make sure that we
[3:50:52] are able to reduce the number of names that
[3:50:56] is on that mural of the dead people from homicide
[3:51:01] in this city. You cannot be a member of justice for murder
[3:51:06] children unless someone in your family has been killed.
[3:51:10] I am a member, so we don't want any more
[3:51:15] names on that mural. We need structured
[3:51:19] funding. This is america and
[3:51:23] the one thing america has, mr. Mayor, is money.
[3:51:28] so we expect you to find it and don't come back with an analysis
[3:51:33] that you can't because you can. Thank you so much for
[3:51:37] your thank you.
[3:51:41] next speaker, please.
[3:51:47] good afternoon, mayor city council. My name is leonard
[3:51:51] adams. I am the coordinator and founder of the hoops after
[3:51:55] dog program. And, uh, you know, I've had a pretty hard night here and
[3:52:00] I would like to just read some things from, uh, for years. The hoops after
[3:52:04] dark program has provided a safe space for young people and
[3:52:08] families to come together, build positive relationships, and connect
[3:52:12] with resources and opportunities. We have been firsthand on
[3:52:16] how the community-based organization can help prevent violence by creating trust,
[3:52:21] connections, and hope. Like many other organizations this work,
[3:52:25] su is sustaining these efforts has been challenging
[3:52:30] too often. Programs receiving short term funding that supports
[3:52:34] activities for a limited time, but does not provide
[3:52:38] a long term investment needed to maintain their impact through
[3:52:43] the one long beach collaboration cbi program. This
[3:52:47] platform has been provided for us to have partnerships to connect with
[3:52:51] other community organizations to continue to, to sustain
[3:52:55] the hoops after dog program to the collaboratives has helped create
[3:53:00] a network supporting and allowing to keep
[3:53:04] showing up for the communities we serve. Our experience shows that
[3:53:08] the community violence intervention program works. It saves
[3:53:12] lives, it strength, uh, neighborhoods and create opportunities for
[3:53:17] young people. As you consider the 2025
[3:53:22] long beach, uh, safety roadmap, it informs
[3:53:26] by the one long beach c-v-I-p-I program. I encourage the city to
[3:53:30] invest and invest in the rooted organization and leader. Sir, you're trying to
[3:53:34] concluded who have earned the trust of our community.
[3:53:39] thank you for listening.
[3:53:44] thank you. Final speaker, please.
[3:53:51] roge martinez, district nine, long beach resident of
[3:53:55] north, north long beach. I just wanted to add that, mary, you
[3:54:00] actually said something that is a slip that most people
[3:54:04] do say, but I wanted to correct you 'cause I think it's not, it's
[3:54:08] what you meant to say, but you've failed to say it. Public safety
[3:54:12] for all long beach residents must remain a top
[3:54:17] priority. No, no, no.
[3:54:22] priorities change. So let me repeat
[3:54:26] and let me say what you, I think you meant to say public safety
[3:54:30] for all long beach residents must remain
[3:54:35] a value of our city's mission statement because values
[3:54:39] do not change. Priorities change. So please change
[3:54:43] that. Second, the young lady, the student
[3:54:48] from long beach poly who eloquently spoke,
[3:54:53] we need to discontinue the cycle of violence.
[3:54:57] I thought that was worth repeating and I'll say it again because
[3:55:02] megan loves repeating things. Long beach.
[3:55:07] we need in long beach, we need to discontinue the cycle of violence.
[3:55:12] and then what I didn't see this is this feasibility
[3:55:17] analysis, this report, is it citywide
[3:55:21] or is it only for the districts that were mentioned? Eight,
[3:55:25] seven your time's concluded. Thank you.
[3:55:33] alright, we'll take it back behind the rail. Councilman kerr?
[3:55:37] yeah, I just wanted to thank the students for coming out. I know I saw a bunch of kids grab their
[3:55:41] backpacks and they had to head out. It's the last week of school. They've got finals and graduations and all of that.
[3:55:45] uh, so please extend micro attitude to the students who couldn't stay and have their stories heard.
[3:55:50] um, but I wanna thank you for lifting up and calling out different programs, um,
[3:55:54] that are violence prevention, that keep our city safe, that keep our families and our neighborhood
[3:55:58] and our children safe. I heard you talk about libraries and afterschool programs,
[3:56:03] community nonprofits, um, education programs
[3:56:07] offered by community groups, neighborhood groups who are keeping children safe as they
[3:56:11] go to and from school. Um, we have ideas of what public safety and community
[3:56:15] safety is. And I want to thank you for uplifting those things that don't come to top of mind
[3:56:19] for some people because you said it so eloquently in your own personal story. So thank you
[3:56:24] and thank you to those students who had to leave.
[3:56:29] alright, well, thank you again. Uh, thanks
[3:56:33] everyone for the public comment and testimony. Uh, we know this is an important, uh, time of
[3:56:37] the year and it's important for the budget. I don't see, okay, this thing
[3:56:41] is, I don't see it. All right. Councilman sorrow, anything? Um,
[3:56:46] yeah, I just wanna thank all of the community members, leaders,
[3:56:50] and advocates for being relentless in advocating for
[3:56:55] violence prevention. I work with many of you when I was with kga
[3:56:59] and I def deeply understand the need for resources because
[3:57:04] you know, the outcome of prevention work, it takes a while to see the outcome,
[3:57:08] but we are seeing it today. Uh, you know, it's different from
[3:57:12] even five, 10 years ago. The amount of prevention work that has been done
[3:57:16] does show, and I know that it's challenging at time because
[3:57:20] we're in a time of short term data results, uh, to be able to
[3:57:24] advocate for resources. So, just wanna thank everybody for staying, um,
[3:57:29] in order to, you know, staying late and also making sure to have, uh,
[3:57:33] your voices heard in this process and very supportive of this report and looking
[3:57:37] forward to coming back
[3:57:43] members, please cast your vote.
[3:57:52] motion is carried. Thank you. Item 44, please.
[3:57:57] thank you. About 20 more items tonight. Report
[3:58:02] from public works recommendation to receive and file an update on the city's residential street
[3:58:06] cip program funding allocation model for the fy 28
[3:58:10] fy 32 to fy 32 pavement management plan citywide.
[3:58:16] alright, uh, staff report please.
[3:58:22] yes, we do have a presentation on this. Uh, so this was an item that came out of the budget oversight
[3:58:26] committee and the was approved by the full council as part of the fy 27 budget. So
[3:58:31] you wanted us to take a look and come back to you about, uh, specific street funding
[3:58:35] allocation models and a little bit of history of how we used to do it, how we're currently doing it,
[3:58:39] which is right now a hundred percent by need, and then looking at some other models. So that's where
[3:58:43] you're doing here tonight. Uh, we do need some direction on this, uh, uh, hopefully
[3:58:48] tonight, uh, to be able to, uh, uh, have that information as we build
[3:58:52] the fy 27 budget that's coming up. So I will turn it over to the team to
[3:58:56] go through the, the various models.
[3:59:01] alright, thank you mr. City manager and welcome.
[3:59:05] uh, glad to be here again, city council and mayor. So we're excited
[3:59:10] to, uh, present this to you. This is a report back from, uh, fy
[3:59:14] 26 adopted budget. Uh, we, we heard the request to come back and provide
[3:59:18] various options for how we could fund our residential streets moving
[3:59:23] forward.
[3:59:28] oh, on the right
[3:59:33] I scrambled on my presentation materials.
[3:59:39] sorry about that. Um, okay. So, um,
[3:59:43] the overview of, of what we're looking at. So we have, um, we
[3:59:47] were directed to come back to city council as part of the fy 26 adopted budget.
[3:59:52] so the overview that we're gonna go through today, uh, we have our current
[3:59:57] pavement condition index of all the city streets. We are also going
[4:00:01] to talk through our residential street backlog update. We have
[4:00:05] an overview of the pre 2017 residential street
[4:00:09] allocation program that we used to operate under prior to 2017.
[4:00:13] we have our current residential street funding allocation model, and then we've developed
[4:00:17] three new models, uh, for review and, um,
[4:00:22] overview this evening. So what is the pavement management
[4:00:26] plan? Uh, in short, it's a, a document that's used
[4:00:30] to plan the pavement rehab and to provide the maximum benefit with the
[4:00:34] available funds. So the goal is to identify the
[4:00:39] optimal level of funding to sustain the city's, one of the city's
[4:00:43] most largest invisible assets. So, to frame the conversation,
[4:00:47] I really want to make sure that everybody understands, once a pavement,
[4:00:52] uh, section is restored, we are looking at
[4:00:56] a pci or pavement condition index of about a hundred. And
[4:01:00] then over time, that deteriorates with use and via environmental
[4:01:04] conditions, uh, which can encompass a number of different factors.
[4:01:11] so the pavement management plan overview, uh, what this slide represents is
[4:01:15] a pavement section that's brand new, or
[4:01:19] in the range of 100 to 85 is rated as excellent. And
[4:01:23] really no work is needed at that point. Uh, streets that are in good
[4:01:28] or very good condition, these are streets that are conducive to treatments
[4:01:32] such as slurry seal. Once you get down into the 40 to 60
[4:01:37] range, uh, you need to do a little bit further invasive treatment, grind and
[4:01:41] overlays. And then once you get down to poor and very poor, uh, the streets
[4:01:45] often require full reconstruction, which is the most costly,
[4:01:49] uh, and takes the, the most amount of time.
[4:01:54] so, similar, similar information to what was presented on the previous slide,
[4:01:58] but this also factors in the time element. So what we're trying to
[4:02:02] convey here is that you wanna catch the pavement sections
[4:02:07] in this critical, uh, sweet spot that you show here between
[4:02:11] the inexpensive surface treatments and the costly pavement rehab.
[4:02:15] so over the first 15% of the pavement's life,
[4:02:19] um, it's you, or over the first 40% of
[4:02:24] life, you drop 15% in quality. And then it's the inverse for, for
[4:02:28] the next, um, 15% of its life.
[4:02:35] so how does pavement management plan correlate with our pavement
[4:02:39] condition index? So since 2016 or or
[4:02:43] uh, 2006, for the last 20 years or so, we've utilized a
[4:02:47] comprehensive pmp to guide our rehabilitation,
[4:02:52] uh, across the city streets, uh, in our residential street portfolio.
[4:02:56] and then in 2014, we started using an automated process
[4:03:01] to analyze the conditions of the pavement.
[4:03:06] so maintaining the minimum network, uh, an average of 60
[4:03:10] pci and a backlog of 15% is really critical and
[4:03:14] important if we wanna sustain the long longevity of our,
[4:03:18] of our asset.
[4:03:24] so to develop the pavement management plan or the pmp first, you
[4:03:28] must establish the pci or the pavement condition index. And that
[4:03:32] was recently done in 2025. That was the report that you saw last
[4:03:36] summer. Um, as part of that 2025 pci report,
[4:03:41] the updated street network average is up to 61.
[4:03:46] that's up 9% from 2023, which was the last time
[4:03:50] we we did the pavement condition index survey. Um, 15%
[4:03:54] is in excellent condition, 38% is in good to very good, 26
[4:03:59] in marginal to fair, and then 20% in poor or very poor
[4:04:03] condition. So what does that all mean? It means that
[4:04:07] an investment of 1.4 billion with a b is
[4:04:11] necessary over the next five years. If we were to try to address all
[4:04:16] of the citywide, um, minor street deficiencies,
[4:04:20] uh, that would equate to approximately $200 million annually.
[4:04:25] um, how does that compare with what we have invested? Um, we've done a historic
[4:04:29] investment over the last few years. The elevate 28 program, we've
[4:04:33] invested an average of 63 million and it has, um,
[4:04:38] done a lot to improve our pci. However, that's, that's really only
[4:04:42] represents 22% of the need if we were to try to get all of our streets up to,
[4:04:46] um, you know, a status.
[4:04:51] so, breaking the pci down a little bit further, uh, to help frame
[4:04:55] the conversation here this evening, we have our major streets or our, our
[4:04:59] arterials. Uh, we have a pci rating of 66, which is up
[4:05:03] from the previous pci score. Uh, we also have our minor
[4:05:07] streets, or what we refer to as our residential streets, uh, has an overall
[4:05:11] pci of 60, which is also up 11% from
[4:05:16] the previous 2023 score. Uh, however, alleys
[4:05:20] are are down 18% from the previous 2023 score,
[4:05:25] uh, to 50. So we've made a lot of improvements. We've
[4:05:29] invested in our alleys. Uh, we have invested over $4 million
[4:05:33] from fy 23 to till now, and we were able to
[4:05:37] complete a number of lane miles. However, there's still a lot of need in our alleys.
[4:05:46] so this map shows a lot of green and a lot of the streets that were completed
[4:05:51] from 2013 through 2022.
[4:05:57] and then more recently, the city council adopted the elevate 28
[4:06:02] program, which runs from fiscal year fy 23 through fiscal year
[4:06:06] 27. And what's being represented here on this map
[4:06:10] are all of the green street segments that have either been reconstructed or
[4:06:14] flurried over the last, uh, few years as part of this program, the
[4:06:18] red streets or the reg segments that you see here represent the projects
[4:06:23] that are still underway and anticipated to be completed. Um, at,
[4:06:27] as we wrap up this five year cip program,
[4:06:34] so specific to residential streets, we have
[4:06:38] an estimate of 1.1 billion is needed to address
[4:06:42] all of the street deficiencies. Uh, that's a pretty, pretty large number.
[4:06:46] um, and we want to go through methodically and figure out how do we allocate the, the funds
[4:06:50] accordingly. So, residential streets and alley funding
[4:06:55] has increased significantly between 23 and 27 as part of the
[4:06:59] elevate 28 program that we were, that we've been talking about. Um, and
[4:07:03] that, that has really impacted positively the pavement
[4:07:07] condition index, as you saw previously. So we invest a lot of money, we increased the
[4:07:11] pci
[4:07:15] so residential street needs. Um, this slide here represents
[4:07:20] the previous need based on the previous pmp data.
[4:07:24] and the next column adjacent to that is the need based on
[4:07:29] the 2025 pci data. So what this is showing
[4:07:33] is that the current program is doing a pretty job, a pretty good job of spreading
[4:07:37] the funds equitably across all the council districts. And that's why you
[4:07:41] see between negative one and one, uh, in the column all
[4:07:45] the way on the right.
[4:07:51] so now we're gonna dive a little bit into the residential street
[4:07:55] funding allocation models themselves. Prior to 2017,
[4:08:00] half of the funding that was allocated was distributed equally
[4:08:04] across all nine council districts. The remaining 50%
[4:08:09] or the other half was allocated based on the pavement condition
[4:08:13] index as identified through the pmp in 2017,
[4:08:17] uh, city council revised this policy directing that a hundred percent of residential
[4:08:22] street infrastructure funding be allocated solely based on the
[4:08:26] pmp and the pci. So since 2017, we've continued with
[4:08:30] that practice in that model.
[4:08:35] so what does that look like in in table form? This was, uh, our
[4:08:39] current residential street funding allocation model. Should we invest
[4:08:43] a hypothetical $20 million, uh, which is a, a reasonable
[4:08:48] allocation for our residential streets. Uh, if hypothetically
[4:08:53] tomorrow or tonight, you were to adopt some sort of allocation model of
[4:08:57] $20 million, this is how, based on the pmp, it would be allocated.
[4:09:01] so as you saw in the previous slides, you the, um, cd
[4:09:06] one has the lowest need based on the pmp
[4:09:10] and, um, cd five has the largest need based on the bmp.
[4:09:19] so we've also put together three additional residential street funding
[4:09:24] allocation models based on a number of different factors. We have our
[4:09:28] traffic and transit model, which prioritizes high volume, high
[4:09:32] mobility type districts. Uh, we also have our people in community
[4:09:36] model, which prioritizes districts with higher activity level population,
[4:09:41] business, employment, and transit. And then we have a safety
[4:09:46] and risk model, which prioritizes district with higher traffic safety risks and
[4:09:50] vulnerable bill populations. So in these
[4:09:54] scenarios, all three of the models have a 50% allocation based
[4:09:58] on the pci need, and then the remaining 50% would
[4:10:02] be based on one of these respective models. So model
[4:10:06] one would have 50% based on need and then 50% traffic
[4:10:10] and transit.
[4:10:15] so what does that, uh, look like that that would look like, um,
[4:10:19] uh, shown on this slide here. So really allocating funding towards, uh,
[4:10:23] higher traffic volume, higher mobility districts, and those, uh, with
[4:10:27] elevated levels of vehicle activity.
[4:10:32] the people in community focused allocation model focuses in
[4:10:36] on population density, employment, business activity, and transit.
[4:10:43] and the safety and risk allocation model, uh, focuses in on
[4:10:48] elevated, uh, traffic safety risks, high injury corridor networks, uh,
[4:10:52] school adjacencies and things of that nature.
[4:10:58] and then we have the, the sixth, uh, what we refer to as the
[4:11:02] analysis paralysis model that combines all of the above
[4:11:06] and includes, uh, 50% funding would be continued
[4:11:10] to be allocated based on the pmp and the pci,
[4:11:14] uh, with 30% or 10% allocated towards
[4:11:18] each of the three additional models that we're talking about. And then the
[4:11:22] remaining 20% for a total of 100%, uh, would
[4:11:27] be allocated across the nine council districts. So 50, 30
[4:11:31] and 20 kind of model.
[4:11:35] so in graphic form, uh, this is what that would look like. Um, again,
[4:11:40] the council district five has the largest geographical
[4:11:44] area, the largest street network, and therefore the greatest need while cd
[4:11:48] one has the, um, densest population. And,
[4:11:53] uh, therefore, the lowest number of need as far as the street
[4:11:57] asset is, is considered. Um, you can also see that a lot of
[4:12:01] these bars don't fluctuate all that much in any of these given models.
[4:12:05] uh, we're, we're looking at all six of the different models across all of the
[4:12:10] districts, uh, here on this slide.
[4:12:17] so our recommendation, uh, this evening is to continue investing in
[4:12:21] our street assets, our residential streets a hundred percent based on the
[4:12:25] need model, the pavement management plan, and the pci index.
[4:12:29] uh, this is the, the most equitable distribution of roadway funding.
[4:12:34] it's based on data. And, uh, based on the documented need within each
[4:12:38] council district, it does factor in the overall condition of the
[4:12:42] roadway, um, as well as the proportion of the overall roadway citywide.
[4:12:47] um, the current allocation model has allowed us to achieve
[4:12:51] historic improvements in our pavement condition, which we're really proud of.
[4:12:56] um, it also helps provide a clear and transparent nexus between what
[4:13:00] we do and, um, how we communicate it and the infrastructure
[4:13:04] needs that are out there. Um, this is also predominantly
[4:13:08] what's used from other municipalities, uh, throughout the country
[4:13:13] to allocate street funding.
[4:13:18] um, couple other factors to conti, uh, consider here in
[4:13:23] 2025. We did just recently complete a cip audit. Uh,
[4:13:27] that cip audit, uh, does show that our current allocation
[4:13:31] model equitably directs funding towards, uh, equity
[4:13:35] focus areas at rates exceeding the proportional share within the city.
[4:13:40] so, uh, the audit specifically called that out and, and agreed
[4:13:44] with how we're currently moving forward with our street allocation model.
[4:13:48] the, they also showed that we are investing in a higher
[4:13:52] concentration of streets within efa communities, including bipoc
[4:13:57] limited income and senior population metrics as well.
[4:14:02] the, as shown in the bar charts, the alternative models while,
[4:14:06] while, um, analyze they wouldn't significantly changed the overall funding
[4:14:11] distribution within, uh, the different districts themselves.
[4:14:15] and really important is the, the communication aspects.
[4:14:20] uh, and the third bullet here is that the metrics such as crash history, transit
[4:14:24] history, high injury networks, a lot of these metrics are really more associated
[4:14:28] with our arterial streets and corridor type programs, not necessarily our
[4:14:32] residential streets. So it can be kind of confusing to help, help folks understand
[4:14:37] why would we be using metrics from arterial streets to invest in our
[4:14:42] residential street assets.
[4:14:48] so, uh, what are we up to right now? Uh, as part of the
[4:14:52] fy 28 to 32 pmp that's being developed, that's underway.
[4:14:56] um, we are planning to use the latest pci data to assess and prioritize
[4:15:00] the roadway investments. That's all happening in real time. We, we received
[4:15:04] the latest pci information, uh, last summer. That was the
[4:15:09] memo that had gone out. We're now using that to develop the plans moving forward,
[4:15:13] those plans. And, uh, the information that contained within it will be
[4:15:17] adopted as part of the future five year infrastructure plan.
[4:15:22] so we are going through that process now. We're taking that
[4:15:27] information, we're adding in inflation, we're adding in current market
[4:15:31] conditions. We're looking at labor availability and figuring out what is that fi
[4:15:35] next five year plan, um, going to look like, and how are we recommending moving
[4:15:39] forward, uh, allocating funds to our street assets.
[4:15:48] so as part of that program, uh, we are looking at
[4:15:52] assembling a draft, uh, look ahead that we'll be
[4:15:56] bringing forward as part of our fy 27 cip budget
[4:16:00] as sort of a preview of what's to come. And, um, we
[4:16:04] will then continue working through developing that analysis over the
[4:16:08] fall, uh, figuring out, making sure that we're honing in on what streets will get full
[4:16:13] reconstruction, which will be slurry sealed residentials, arterials, that sort of thing.
[4:16:17] and we'll be developing all of that as part of the next five year
[4:16:21] plan throughout fy 27, and then bringing that back
[4:16:26] as part of the fy 28 budget.
[4:16:31] that concludes staff presentation. And we're available to answer any questions.
[4:16:36] all right, well, thank you for the presentation. I've,
[4:16:40] I've, um, been a part of this discussion two or three times when
[4:16:44] I was on city council. Um, I'm glad to see that when
[4:16:49] we got rid, I remember the divide by nine days where every
[4:16:53] council office had to pick one street every year,
[4:16:57] and it was a food fight in the district. Every year. You gotta pick one street
[4:17:02] and neighbors would organize. I remember one year,
[4:17:06] I don't know if council member excel remembers this, you remember manny's alley manny's
[4:17:11] the alley in the grant neighborhood. He, manny walker, he was a neighborhood
[4:17:15] association president, and he organized everybody around one
[4:17:19] alley, and it was the only alley to get paved in the whole city that year. Uh,
[4:17:23] but he organized, and that was where the allocation went. It was kind
[4:17:27] of the hunger games of infrastructure. And then we went to
[4:17:31] the data and we did that, that citywide pavement condition
[4:17:36] index study. And it, and it gave council members cover to just look
[4:17:40] at the data and be able to plan and,
[4:17:44] and, and have a, you know, a basis for how we select the streets. There's
[4:17:48] adjustments, council districts do have the amount, the ability before it's locked in to make
[4:17:52] those adjustments, but for the most part, it's based on data. And to show
[4:17:56] that when we shifted to that approach, we saw an increase,
[4:18:01] I think 9%, uh, pavement condition index, but
[4:18:05] 9% is not enough. We have to continue and have some discipline in how we
[4:18:09] go about it so that we continue to get, like truly increase
[4:18:13] our pavement condition index. The other thing I'll say is
[4:18:17] we, we approach this from a, um, a
[4:18:21] a I don't know, um, a scarcity mindset
[4:18:26] as it comes to infrastructure, but we have to switch to abundance. We have to think
[4:18:30] about what would it really take to shift
[4:18:34] to create the kind of streets and the safe streets and the quality of life in our streets
[4:18:38] and sidewalks that we need to have, to have the community that we want and focus a lot of
[4:18:42] our energy on. Having that honest conversation with our residents about what it
[4:18:46] truly costs to move from this scarcity food hunger
[4:18:51] games to actually improving the infrastructure that we need. And the reality is,
[4:18:56] we are investing more in our streets than we've ever had every single year,
[4:19:00] and it's not enough. And we don't fund our streets
[4:19:05] traditionally, like our surrounding cities have. You know, I, I live right on the border of bellflower
[4:19:09] and lakewood, and I hear it all the time about how lakewood looks one way we look, another lakewood
[4:19:14] has passed infrastructure bonds. We haven't done a single infrastructure streets bond in our city's history.
[4:19:18] we've done recreation park, we've done el dorado park. I mean, we've done very
[4:19:22] specific projects, but not once have we done that. And
[4:19:27] city measure a as a sales tax will never, ever service
[4:19:32] a a, a tax on sales tax will never be robust
[4:19:36] enough to manage the prop, the infrastructure needs of
[4:19:40] a city of our size. It just, it just isn't. And
[4:19:44] redevelopment, the last time a lot of streets were done before this past five year infrastructure
[4:19:49] plan was when redevelopment existed in our city. Well, guess what? The state eliminated
[4:19:53] redevelopment in 2013. It does not exist anymore. And the big street infrastructure
[4:19:57] down in the coast, coastal area, tidelands, and we all know what's happening with oil
[4:20:01] that is not the infrastructure that we can count on in the future. So we have to have an
[4:20:05] honest conversation about if we truly want to, if we truly
[4:20:10] want to improve our infrastructure nipping from here and taking from
[4:20:14] one district and going to the other district, it's, it's regressing back to what we used
[4:20:18] to do and as not a smart strategic way to really invest
[4:20:22] in our infrastructure in a way that we can be proud of and be honest about not passing the buck to
[4:20:26] the future. So I just wanna say that
[4:20:31] I think the, the, you know, we seeing the data we need to see,
[4:20:35] but we need to focus on the resources and focus more resources
[4:20:39] into the, into the plan. When you see the results, you don't deviate from the plan, but
[4:20:43] we do need to accelerate the plan. So those are my thoughts on, on this issue. We'll go to
[4:20:47] the council. Um, I don't see a motion in a second. Is it, there
[4:20:51] is a motion on this thing is okay. I'll look up there. Council member kerr?
[4:20:56] yes. Uh, thank you mr. Mayor. I wanna thank public works and the city teams for conducting the analysis
[4:21:01] of options and providing this thorough report and presentation. And while I understand
[4:21:05] and always appreciate the opportunity to reassess the ways we distribute funds across the city, I agree with
[4:21:09] the staff recommendation and with what the mayor just said to keep things the way they are when it comes to
[4:21:14] residential streets. Slide eight and 22 demonstrate clearly that this
[4:21:18] model is working. As stated in the report, council district five remains, the largest
[4:21:22] district has the largest roadway network and the highest percentage of need. And yet
[4:21:26] I hear from so many residents that they have not seen their stream worked on in decades.
[4:21:31] um, as you saw on the chart, our need is identical. There has been no change despite the
[4:21:35] investment. Uh, other districts have seen some change. The demon,
[4:21:39] the date, clearly states that we have the most need when it comes to overall conditions on
[4:21:43] many of our residential roads. Even with the success of pmp to bring the citywide pci
[4:21:48] ratings up conditions in district five, which represent more than a fifth of the remaining
[4:21:52] need across the city, we struggled to justify certain road repairs decisions to
[4:21:56] residents, even under the current systems of needs based allocation. Because the decision in
[4:22:00] the last iip was to prioritize the more affordable slurry and crack seal
[4:22:05] work to address more streets and moderate conditions, to bring them up higher as
[4:22:09] opposed to addressing the fewer, more costly resurfacing and reconstructions.
[4:22:13] this brought the overall citywide pci ratings up, but that has left many of the poorest,
[4:22:17] the poor and very poor streets continuing to deteriorate over the last
[4:22:21] five years. District five has more poor and very poor streets than any
[4:22:26] other district, and they have not been worked on in the last five years as a policy choice
[4:22:30] by the council five years ago. Now that we've reached our first goal of raising the
[4:22:34] overall pci past 60, I feel we should continue turning our attention to those roads that
[4:22:38] are in the worst condition. Reallocating funding away from the needs-based prioritization
[4:22:42] will remove or further limit the only avenue we have to getting those poor and very poor streets
[4:22:46] addressed. And when we do that, that will continue to bring up the citywide scores as eliminating
[4:22:50] those lower numbers. We'll raise the average. I fear if we can further
[4:22:55] complicate the system by weighing factors that are not directly related to the associated
[4:22:59] costs. Not only will many of the streets in the worst conditions continue to go unaddressed for another five
[4:23:03] years or more, but we will also lose the trust from the public in our ability to responsibly
[4:23:08] use what funding we do have available. Um,
[4:23:12] communication hasn't been our strong suit sometimes out of public
[4:23:16] works. I think we've all had those conversations. And to a, to complicate,
[4:23:21] uh, the reasons why we do things doesn't seem to be something that's
[4:23:25] in our wheelhouse to be able to communicate that clearly. And so sticking to the
[4:23:29] most need, the most equitable as the report said, uh,
[4:23:35] is what I think is best. So I wanna just confirm what you slide 23.
[4:23:40] the current a hundred percent needs-based residential street allocation model is equitably directing funding
[4:23:44] towards equity-focused areas at rates exceeding their proportional share of the city. And
[4:23:48] that audit finding showed a higher concentration of street projects within efa communities,
[4:23:52] including the areas identified as bipoc limited income, lep, and senior
[4:23:56] population metrics. Um, and again, the idea that
[4:24:00] we would use metrics that are normally associated with arterials to residential begins
[4:24:05] again, just to muddy the conversation, I think makes it more difficult. This is
[4:24:09] about our neighborhood streets. We know that they are funded differently than our arterials for
[4:24:13] safety reasons. We're not transit corridors. Uh, these exist in our neighborhoods. I urge
[4:24:17] my colleagues to support the stock craft recommendation tonight. Thank you.
[4:24:24] thank you. Uh, councilman bra? Yes. Uh, thank you mayor. And, uh, thank you for
[4:24:28] the presentation and, uh, I agree with, um, everything that
[4:24:32] you just said, uh, councilwoman kerr. Um, I do wanna
[4:24:36] thank the public works team for all the hard work and all that you
[4:24:40] continue to do, uh, in the city and in district two.
[4:24:44] um, I have seen the slurry seal work, um, that's happening throughout
[4:24:49] my district. And it is clear that, uh, your
[4:24:53] department is making some real clear efforts to, uh, improve
[4:24:58] and also maintain, um, the residential streets.
[4:25:02] um, we all know that there still is a lot of work to do. Um, and so,
[4:25:06] um, I do appreciate the progress and, um, and
[4:25:11] I, uh, I wanna make sure that we continue to focus and use
[4:25:15] our resources effectively. And at this time, I also
[4:25:19] agree with staff recommendations, uh, to keep the current formula,
[4:25:24] uh, the way it is and keep it the same. Continue to use the pavement
[4:25:28] conditions and demonstrated disrepair, helps ensure
[4:25:32] that funding is going where it is most needed, um,
[4:25:37] which is the most equitable way to uplift our city
[4:25:41] and to uplift all of our streets throughout the city. So thank you very much for the presentation
[4:25:45] again. Thank you. Council member sorrow. Yes.
[4:25:50] uh, so thank you director hickman for this presentation. I was
[4:25:54] here when the first five year plan was approved, but I just
[4:25:59] came onto city council, so really had a hard time understanding
[4:26:04] the formula approach and what was taken into consideration.
[4:26:09] uh, now that I am fi pretty much almost, you know, six
[4:26:13] years in, I'd have a better understanding on how it got implemented.
[4:26:18] but I still appreciate seeing these different models because, you
[4:26:22] know, every department have definitions are that are different, right? When we talk
[4:26:26] about need and equity. So if you can go back and explain
[4:26:30] again to me what need means, because I,
[4:26:35] I just wanna make sure I'm clear on on what you mean by needs,
[4:26:40] uh, as far as your formula goes.
[4:26:46] yeah, you can try to try to tackle some of that. So as far as the the needs
[4:26:51] based model, it's really a, a data-driven type approach
[4:26:56] that we look at and we send, uh, vehicles out
[4:27:00] to check out the condition throughout the entire city. So they're traveling
[4:27:04] on every road segment throughout the city and they're assigning
[4:27:08] a pci or pavement condition index to the entire
[4:27:12] city's, uh, streets. So we have a really great informative website that you
[4:27:16] can go in. It's a fun little party trick. You can show, uh, exactly
[4:27:20] what your pci is or what your neighbor's pci is. Uh, definitely encourage
[4:27:25] everybody to check it out. And then what we mean by by need is that
[4:27:29] as we're investing our, our dollars across all of these different
[4:27:33] districts, there's an analysis that's done of how many
[4:27:38] road miles are within each district, and then in what condition
[4:27:43] are all of those street segments. And then that's how the need is,
[4:27:47] is addressed and quantified as part of the pmp. Would you do ride-alongs
[4:27:51] with us to show how that works? I, I'm not joking. I'm serious actually. Just
[4:27:56] because, uh, if there was an option, right? Because I, I
[4:28:00] get it that, you know, it's to determine the condition, but um,
[4:28:04] I just have a hard time visualizing it. So, uh, but that can be a later
[4:28:08] discussion, but it's more around how do you then determine, because
[4:28:12] some residential roads become alternative arterials,
[4:28:17] like my district, because many have to go north and
[4:28:21] south, they have to go through my district atlantic
[4:28:26] cherry, uh, or they have to go west and east. There's
[4:28:30] no way people can go throughout the city without going through my, my
[4:28:35] district. And they always take alternative residential route when
[4:28:39] it's busy, right? So I'm just wondering if you take,
[4:28:43] you know, how do you take in factors of use, right? Of roads
[4:28:47] that are residential but becomes alternative of arterials
[4:28:52] at times when people have to get to poly, right? They take all of these
[4:28:56] resident, you know, there's hundreds of families driving through that area,
[4:29:00] certain school areas. So I'm just curious if that gets taken into
[4:29:04] consideration. It, it does get taken into
[4:29:09] consideration organically. So when you restore
[4:29:13] a street cross section over time, that's going to degrade. Let's say everybody
[4:29:17] stopped traveling on, on atlantic and started traveling down the residential streets
[4:29:21] instead. Yeah. Well then presumably atlantic or or enter other
[4:29:25] arterial street here would stay, uh, relatively
[4:29:30] good condition while the residential streets would degrade quickly.
[4:29:35] so as they're degrading, the next time we would come around and do the pci, we
[4:29:39] would see that degradation quickly and then that would be factored into the analysis.
[4:29:44] okay. Um, you know, I I'm just then how do you often
[4:29:48] do you do these pci drives? That's why I am, like
[4:29:52] I, I I'm really asking, 'cause I, I have to, I'm asking
[4:29:56] from a place of how resident would understand it if I had to
[4:30:00] explain to them and I'm having, and I'm asking these questions
[4:30:04] so that I can process it and, and then respond when they wonder
[4:30:09] why their road right. Didn't get, uh, chosen or
[4:30:13] their residential street didn't get chosen and the this pa five year and
[4:30:17] how it'll get chosen the next route. So I'm asking from a perspective of a
[4:30:21] resident that's just trying to understand rather than it then maybe
[4:30:25] it becomes a hungry game and like, well how do they advocate that their road is
[4:30:29] like it meets that index mark. Right. So, um, but if you can share
[4:30:34] with me like that, that's why I am, I appreciate this opportunity
[4:30:38] to clarify, not to say that I disagree with the current model. It's more
[4:30:42] around, I just have a hard time and still continue to
[4:30:46] do. So to explain to resident how certain, um, you know, residential
[4:30:51] street gets chosen and it comes from this index. I won't belabor
[4:30:55] too much of that process, but I do wanna get that answered. Um,
[4:30:59] as far as it may come back around. Yeah,
[4:31:03] certainly I can, I can try to, um, tackle that. So the,
[4:31:08] as far as how are these streets connected and, and it's a really great question. This is the
[4:31:12] question that we often face, uh, when we're out at the community and, and they're,
[4:31:16] everybody's wondering, why are we doing something on this street
[4:31:20] when my street is so much worse? And it's a fair question. And
[4:31:24] if, um, if we could pull back up the presentation please, I'd like to, to go
[4:31:28] back to slide five. Um, slide five represents
[4:31:32] the pavement management plan and the overview. Um, apologies. Gimme
[4:31:37] a second here while I scroll backwards a few slides.
[4:31:43] so, uh, what, what you see here is a chart that
[4:31:47] represents, uh, streets that are in excellent condition. We don't really need to invest a lot of money in them.
[4:31:51] um, however, once you start dipping down into very good, and
[4:31:55] once you get to good, we wanna start investing in those streets, ie
[4:32:00] slurry programs and things of that nature before they degrade further. Once
[4:32:04] they start to degrade and they get down to the poor or very poor, they're 10 times
[4:32:08] or more expensive to restore. So
[4:32:13] the, the program that's in place today is that we're trying to
[4:32:17] preserve the streets that we have in good condition before they
[4:32:21] degrade further. And then investing our remaining funds in the poor
[4:32:25] and very poor to reconstruct them, thereby squeezing the middle, if you will.
[4:32:29] so investing to keep our streets in reasonable condition or
[4:32:34] good condition while investing our other funds in poor and very poor. That's
[4:32:38] what's allowing us to bring our pci up overall. I, I
[4:32:42] hope that answered the question a little better. Yeah. I'll just end on this. I know I'm over time,
[4:32:46] but I do, um, I I, I'm not in
[4:32:50] disagreement in this recommendation. I, I just want to be able
[4:32:54] to have tools as we progress into the next five year plan
[4:32:59] on better explaining that if you had this chart,
[4:33:03] could you tell me if I had a resident who you know,
[4:33:07] was asking why didn't their street get listed in the five year plan,
[4:33:12] what their, their street rate so that we can show them on a
[4:33:16] chart that this is why, and then have that kind of talking points
[4:33:20] you just shared. So then, um, you know, we can communicate it.
[4:33:24] 'cause in the end of the day, I, I do overall understand this
[4:33:28] approach, but what's really important is to make sure resident understand
[4:33:33] that. And, um, I'm still processing it as a representative,
[4:33:37] right. As a council member. Um, and this is like, I'm six years
[4:33:41] in, so that's my feedback and I like to see how we can better communicate.
[4:33:45] so thank you. Yeah. And if I may, I know it wasn't a, a question, but
[4:33:49] we can certainly explore opportunities to better communicate that
[4:33:53] as we roll out the next five year program. So it's, it's understood across
[4:33:58] the board. I thought the last five year program was
[4:34:02] cool and the website was cool and all that, but I think we have to build ongoing education
[4:34:07] into the cost of infrastructure. I think we should just plan for that to be
[4:34:11] a part of the infrastructure, get out, do the education about not just
[4:34:16] the impact of the street being paved, but why and how we make these investments.
[4:34:20] we should really think about that as a part of the infrastructure. Alright, uh, next is council member rick
[4:34:24] sodi. All right. I'm gonna be a little bit of a nerd, so don't feel like I'm, uh, interrogating you,
[4:34:28] but I'm gonna ask you some questions. Uh, okay, so this is what
[4:34:32] I don't quite follow. So we give the, we give every street
[4:34:36] a pci score, right? So each, there's specific, I'm assuming there's a specific segment, and you
[4:34:41] look at that segment and you give it a score. But the percent,
[4:34:45] but the need is based on a proportion, right? So we have a continuous
[4:34:50] count variable, right? And now we're giving it a percentage, which means at
[4:34:54] some point you are taking that numerical number. That's the score,
[4:34:58] right? And then you're saying, I'm taking that number and I'm creating
[4:35:02] a need versus not need, right? So that's the question I have. So when
[4:35:06] I think about this, or is everything good
[4:35:11] and above now not need, and then everything
[4:35:15] that is kind of fair and below is that need, like, that's
[4:35:19] the part that I don't understand. Like how do you take the value that you give
[4:35:23] it from the pci and then translate that into percent need?
[4:35:28] does that make sense? Council member? Let me, uh, jonathan boland,
[4:35:33] business operations bureau manager, public works. Mm-hmm . Let me, let me take a different stab at answering
[4:35:37] this. So, um, when we do the pci analysis, uh, which is
[4:35:41] done every three years, um, and that is mandated, uh, legally,
[4:35:45] um, when we do that analysis, the pci
[4:35:49] score generates a cost to, to get that back up to a hundred.
[4:35:54] so, to put this a different way, the total need for the city for
[4:35:58] residential streets is 1.1 billion with a b. Mm-hmm . Each
[4:36:02] district has their own overall need. The percentage is a simple
[4:36:08] district need divided by total $1.1 billion need. Okay.
[4:36:12] that's a different, so then that's how you get the percent need.
[4:36:16] so that's, so we're talking about, so we're all gonna have fun with math today, right? So we're
[4:36:20] talking about numerator and denominator. So denominator for every
[4:36:24] district is the same, which is that 1.1 billion. And then the numerator
[4:36:29] is the cost associated with that pci score or that
[4:36:33] average pci score for a specific district.
[4:36:38] because you said, so you said the pci score, it was related to
[4:36:43] a, like a cost, right? So that's the numerator for a
[4:36:47] particular district. And then the denominator is that total need for the
[4:36:51] city. So for instance, and I'm just gonna make
[4:36:55] up some big numbers here, but if, if cd five itself is showing mm-hmm
[4:36:59] . A backlog of let's say $350 million,
[4:37:05] and the total backlog for the city is 1.1 billion,
[4:37:09] then the 350 divided by 1.1 billion
[4:37:14] gets us that 33% need that
[4:37:18] cd five has. Okay. So then I haven't added it together, but that means can we go to slide
[4:37:22] 13?
[4:37:29] and this may be true, I haven't, I haven't done the math in my head. So that means that this percent need, like,
[4:37:33] if I go down that column, if I sum down that column, it should sum to a hundred percent.
[4:37:38] that's correct. And then you could do the
[4:37:42] background math of just making a fake 1.1 billion and then assigning
[4:37:46] a percentage, and you would get the backlog total. Oh, and council member, to answer your
[4:37:50] previous question, you asked, um, at what point does it get assigned a dollar amount? It's not just when
[4:37:55] it's in need, but everything that's not a hundred percent is my understanding, and the
[4:37:59] team can correct me has a value associated with it. So if it was a
[4:38:03] hundred percent, it's zero. If it's 99%, it might be, you know, a hundred
[4:38:07] dollars or whatever it is. And so, and it, as it goes down, it gets a higher amount of need.
[4:38:11] so every single street gets assigned a need is, can the team
[4:38:15] con, uh, confirm that that is accurate? Uh, mr. City manager and, and in fact, not every
[4:38:19] street, but street segment. So it's not, we're not taking, uh, an,
[4:38:23] uh, an average score for miles and miles of streets. It is by street segment
[4:38:27] because you have to make it comparator. Right. So the comparator has to be the same, which means the segments have
[4:38:32] to be the same across the district. Okay. That makes sense. So then thinking about this slide,
[4:38:36] and, uh, so when we look at different, so let's say, let's
[4:38:40] look at like council member kerr, cd five. So basically we're saying is that when we did the
[4:38:44] previous payment management plan versus when we looked at the pci data today,
[4:38:49] even though we've done a lot of it, like, I think as to the, what the mayor's point is, even
[4:38:53] though we've done a lot of investment, the cost is still
[4:38:57] the same now, right? The, like the need investment in that district is still
[4:39:01] the same now, unfortunately, as it was before, because some
[4:39:05] streets have continued to degrade, even though we fixed some of them, is what you're saying?
[4:39:10] yes, absolutely. 'cause it's a 0% change. Yeah. So we are making progress in the overall
[4:39:15] pci, but if that street is already really expensive and you didn't fix it, and
[4:39:19] it gets even worse mm-hmm . Then that bru brings it down. Um, because
[4:39:23] if you look at the p and p, um, you're looking at how do you address the backlog? And our backlog
[4:39:27] is still growing even though we're putting all this dollars into the street. And so
[4:39:32] this is that issue that megan brings up too, which is we have people waiting for the worst streets,
[4:39:36] but the worst streets are the most expensive to fix. So you could maybe put all of your street
[4:39:40] money into one or two streets and raise those from a
[4:39:44] 10 or a 19% to a hundred, but you're gonna get a lot less improvement
[4:39:48] throughout the district, um, if you do it that way. Okay. So that makes sense. 'cause then that's,
[4:39:53] so that's why this all is starting to more make more sense now. So on slide 24,
[4:39:57] when you say stable pci levels may be maintained
[4:40:01] under baseline funding scenarios, though major backlog reduction
[4:40:06] will remain limited. So that's what you're saying is that we're doing all of this work, but because we're
[4:40:10] doing clack crack and slurry seal and things like that, not necessarily addressing the hardest
[4:40:14] or the, the, the lowest pci streets, we're always gonna, we're
[4:40:18] basically we're having a hard time with back with the backlog unless we start to put more funding,
[4:40:22] um, into, into our streets, particularly the ones that are in the worst
[4:40:26] condition. Absolutely. And the team has done magic in moving that pci up without being
[4:40:31] able to have the funds to address the backlog mm-hmm . By being very specific about which
[4:40:35] streets we maintain and keep from going further down. And then which ones in the middle
[4:40:39] we're able to raise up, and then we have done some poor streets. But, um, until
[4:40:43] we have enough money to really address the backlog, you're not gonna see large
[4:40:47] increases in pci. So we need to have baseline, uh, um, amount,
[4:40:51] uh, spend it correctly and spend it efficiently, and then also get money to address the backlog.
[4:40:55] understood. Okay. And then last question is, and this is slide 23,
[4:41:00] um, I just wanna unpack this for people watching. Um, and council member
[4:41:04] kerr, um, uh, brought up the statement as well when it said the current 100% needs-based
[4:41:09] residential street allocation model is equitably directing funding toward
[4:41:13] equity focus areas and rates exceeding their proportional share of the city.
[4:41:17] so I just want to, is there, is there a way that you all can kind of like just unpack
[4:41:21] that statement? So basically define, for those who don't know what an equity focus area,
[4:41:26] and when we say exceed their proportional share of the city, I just want people
[4:41:30] to understand what that's, what that's saying.
[4:41:34] yeah. So what this is essentially saying is that as part of the audit, the
[4:41:38] auditors that came in and, and other specialists, other folks from public works came in and
[4:41:43] looked at how are we allocating our street funding? And they said,
[4:41:47] we are allocating our limited funds to areas
[4:41:51] in need in equity focused areas at rates exceeding, uh,
[4:41:56] what, what if you were to go and do those proportional calculations across
[4:42:00] the board, how, how we would get there. So, uh, we're doing
[4:42:04] a better job than if you would just run and, uh, run the same or similar calculations
[4:42:09] to what we did for the percent need. If we were to do that, we're
[4:42:14] investing more heavily in equity focused areas than otherwise.
[4:42:18] so what is, what is the definition of an equity focused area?
[4:42:23] they define this as part of the audit. We will, we will have to pull that up for you. Okay.
[4:42:27] so yeah, I, because I think that would make, that would what make people more sense? 'cause equity is because, you know,
[4:42:31] people, when we talk about equity in the city, we're talking about investing in areas, right? That have,
[4:42:36] have maybe been neglected, not as had as much investment. But here, when we're
[4:42:40] talking about equity, we're also, we're in, the definition we're using here is around how we're
[4:42:44] investing and we're focusing on like the, the worst streets. But the worst streets may not necessarily
[4:42:49] be in areas that have had disinvestment. So that's why I'm trying to say like,
[4:42:53] I think when we say equity focused area, what do we mean specifically here?
[4:42:57] yes. And that's a wonderful question. Um, so this, this comes straight out of the independent
[4:43:01] audit that, that was completed by the city auditor's office. Uh, that audit, uh,
[4:43:05] defined, uh, the efas as bipoc, lep, um, which
[4:43:09] is low, uh, limited english proficiency, density, limited income and seniors.
[4:43:14] and then it found high focus equity areas or hfas as
[4:43:18] groups with three or more of those five efas within them.
[4:43:23] okay. Repeat that last sentence. Uh, so a high equity focus area
[4:43:27] would be a block group with three or more of those bipoc, lep density, limited
[4:43:31] income seniors together. Okay.
[4:43:36] I know. Look, we're all, like I said, we're all, we're all gonna learn together, but yes. Okay. I'm
[4:43:40] gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna shut up now. I may have more questions. No, it's fine. Just so you know, it's fine. Get your
[4:43:44] questions out. I do this as part of my job, so this is just, this is just council member. Get your questions out. Yeah.
[4:43:48] so I just, I I just, I wanted that, that actually was my last question. I just wanted to make sure that
[4:43:52] I understood. When we're making that statement, we're basically saying, because I think if we
[4:43:57] think about, I mean for, I'm just being honest, right? When we think about investing in our infrastructure, for those
[4:44:01] of us who come from areas like north central west, long beach, like, we're always
[4:44:05] gonna be concerned around investment in our districts because we all know the history, right?
[4:44:09] and so it's important for us to know that as we're collectively achieving
[4:44:13] our goals, right? That we're making sure to continue that equity lens
[4:44:18] around those investments when it comes to our internal policies here in the city. Yeah,
[4:44:23] absolutely. And we certainly do that. And every single district has an area that has received more
[4:44:27] in more investment over time than others. And so I think what we're showing in the audit
[4:44:31] is that we have a lot of street money now. We don't have the one street per district anymore. We're
[4:44:35] able to do a lot of work within the district. And when we recommend to you, here are the
[4:44:40] things that we think we should be investing in based on the pci, there's a lot you
[4:44:44] can choose from. So we will say, you know, this part of the district should get this 'cause they haven't
[4:44:48] had this kind of investment, or it's a big need. Or we hear, we hear complaints or we hear
[4:44:52] issues and we are able to spread it around. So we're very deliberate about that, about trying
[4:44:56] to maximize those dollars and also, um, focus on areas that haven't always had
[4:45:00] investment. And that is, you know, within the district after you look at need. And so
[4:45:04] that is what we would be preparing to do as part of the, the next five year plan is
[4:45:08] be able to take all that input that you guys receive, that we look at for the data, and then
[4:45:13] try to create a street plan, uh, that matches that level of investment.
[4:45:17] alright. Thank you. Uh, council member kerr. Yeah, I just a
[4:45:21] quick follow up. Um, I do wanna acknowledge and thank uh, you director for,
[4:45:25] um, the, and we talked about it a little bit earlier in the study session, uh, the
[4:45:29] way that you are communicating with, with us in our briefings,
[4:45:33] um, and the new format and the new maps that show us some of these specific things.
[4:45:38] and I know we've talked about, um, are those for public consumption, the way that we can package
[4:45:42] those for, for folks to understand. So I appreciate the idea of putting education
[4:45:46] into the budget, um, and doing it in a way in terms of
[4:45:50] how do we take the good work that you're doing to communicate that to our offices,
[4:45:54] um, in a, in a public way that that works, um, both for internal
[4:45:59] and um, external viewing. So I did wanna acknowledge and thank you for that good work.
[4:46:05] alright. Public comment, reio.
[4:46:15] yeah. I didn't see in the report how the integration of
[4:46:19] the city's website as a place where a resident can
[4:46:24] identify, said pothole needs to be repaired.
[4:46:28] so we need to incorporate that because, you know, just like
[4:46:32] when we talked about, you know, giving bonuses for builders,
[4:46:37] like density bonuses and special bonuses, I mean,
[4:46:41] what is the follow up and follow through for a
[4:46:45] resident that identifies said pothole that
[4:46:49] aligns with the, um, with the,
[4:46:54] uh, presentation that you, that you presented so that those
[4:46:58] voices are heard? Because those voices are extremely
[4:47:02] important. I remember the one day that I promoted that part
[4:47:06] of the website, it actually crashed the site because there was so
[4:47:11] many people that were like, you know what? I didn't even know that this
[4:47:15] resource within the city's website, um, actually
[4:47:19] was available. But then it crashed the site. 'cause there was so many
[4:47:23] people that said, hey, fix this one, fix this one, fix this one.
[4:47:28] so how do you intelligently incorporate
[4:47:32] that so that the voices of our residents are heard? That's all I
[4:47:36] have. Thank you. Bless you. Alright,
[4:47:40] thank you. Look, I think this is an important discussion. We need to have it every,
[4:47:44] every few years. I think it's important. I think, um, there's
[4:47:49] a lot. There was just recently a lot of misinformation out and the state of
[4:47:53] our media, we can't count on them the way that we used to, to do
[4:47:57] that. Reporting on the really important topics that the council choose on,
[4:48:02] we don't have that anymore. So we, we have to go through the steps of doing
[4:48:06] and conducting that, that education as best as we can.
[4:48:10] we're in a jump ball state of like politics. It's like whatever's the most shocking
[4:48:14] headline is what people read. And the boring stuff, like our long-term
[4:48:18] strategy to improve streets and what the real needs are is not gonna get, is not gonna get
[4:48:22] the coverage anymore. And so it's harder, but it requires
[4:48:26] us to have more discipline. We have to stay focused on what we're doing. We have
[4:48:31] to, we have to be able to sort of lock out the
[4:48:35] noise, continue to focus and find the resources to truly invest and improve
[4:48:39] our streets. Um, council member thresh, do you want add anything?
[4:48:43] yeah. Um, thank you all for the conversation. It's been great. As the newest council member,
[4:48:47] I wanted to give my colleagues a chance to kind of have a conversation and I'm,
[4:48:51] I've been, um, kind of taking some notes. Um, I
[4:48:55] am, I think the lens through which the department is taking a look at what
[4:48:59] our, the alternative residential allocation
[4:49:03] models, um, are really great. 'cause my first thought was to go to people,
[4:49:08] um, as the place that we might land on. Um, but even with
[4:49:12] that, because you mix in, uh, business and employment activity as
[4:49:16] opposed to just population, I wasn't convinced that that was the right place,
[4:49:20] um, for all of the districts. And I am thinking from an equity lens.
[4:49:25] um, and then safety was another one. I said, well, do you know, do we go that direction?
[4:49:30] um, given, you know, what we've seen in community and I don't want
[4:49:34] to negate the need for basics, you know, street
[4:49:39] repair, um, for investment in a lot of infrastructure that
[4:49:43] only supports a small percentage of the the district.
[4:49:47] um, I will say I think for future conversations, um,
[4:49:51] 'cause when the concept here on page 23 that we are
[4:49:56] investing more funding and equity focused areas, um,
[4:50:00] is really hard to square with because one, I have no
[4:50:05] idea what our auditor has determined, our equity focused areas,
[4:50:09] I don't really know what that means. And we haven't been able to share the definition here this evening
[4:50:14] so that, you know, in the future we wanna come back and, and have some sense of that.
[4:50:18] and then the finding showing that there's a concentration of street
[4:50:22] projects within these areas. When I look at every single
[4:50:27] category, no matter how we slice it, where the funds are being
[4:50:31] spit are in parts of the city where we don't have a lot of equity focused
[4:50:35] areas. So I'm trying to figure out like how could that
[4:50:39] be that we are spending a higher amount in equity focused areas, but
[4:50:44] if we look at the fact that more dollars are going to parts of the city where we
[4:50:48] typically don't have equity focused, um, you
[4:50:52] know, I would say, um, populations, it's hard
[4:50:57] to believe that that's true. So, um, you know, I
[4:51:01] think at this point all of the bars are about in
[4:51:05] the same place, uh, when it comes to, to my district.
[4:51:09] um, and I would be comfortable with the direction that we're currently
[4:51:13] going. Um, but just monitor that. Uh, because the other
[4:51:17] issue that I get so concerned about is that if we do not address
[4:51:22] the, um, the poorest streets, then,
[4:51:26] you know, we continue to just have those linger accordingly.
[4:51:30] um, and that's where I, I hear the most from residents regarding what
[4:51:34] their expectations are. And it just gets worse. And when I look at the map,
[4:51:39] uh, frankly, it's many of the places that don't have any lines at all are where
[4:51:43] we see, uh, the worst streets within the district.
[4:51:49] alright, well, uh, thanks everyone for your, for your discussion members, please
[4:51:53] cast your vote.
[4:52:01] a motion is carried. Um, okay, where
[4:52:05] are we now? Are we
[4:52:09] on item 36 now? Did we do that? Yes. Yeah. 36
[4:52:13] report from community development recommendation to adopt request for
[4:52:17] proposal and award a contract to the superlative group to provide consulting
[4:52:21] services to evaluate advertising opportunities and design an
[4:52:25] advertising program or district centered around the
[4:52:29] use of city owned spaces for a total amount not to exceed 187,450
[4:52:35] and execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract citywide. Alright,
[4:52:40] so we'll do a brief staff report here, but I think this is important.
[4:52:44] we, we outlined a number of strategies to grow new sustainable revenue
[4:52:48] in our city as our city transitions away from oil and tight winds
[4:52:53] and, and other things. One of those strategies we were, we've
[4:52:57] been very smart and intentional about removing static
[4:53:01] billboards throughout our city. And in exchange for the digital on the freeways
[4:53:05] removed a lot of blight. And it has allowed us to really think
[4:53:09] comprehensively about what an advertising district could look like in our
[4:53:13] entertainment district and in our downtown in a way that is curated and thoughtful
[4:53:18] and generates revenue and tasteful, um, particularly
[4:53:23] in advance of 2028. Um, and so we'll go
[4:53:27] through a, a presentation here. This gives us the first step of bringing on a consultant
[4:53:31] to begin to do that work. Um, and we look forward to,
[4:53:36] um, uh, the findings. Christopher goons.
[4:53:40] okay. I wanna introduce you to april aka our administrative and financial
[4:53:44] services officer who made this procurement possible and is gonna tell you
[4:53:49] about it. All right. Good evening, mayor and members
[4:53:53] of the city council. Um, before we get started on the
[4:53:57] specifics of the rfp, I'm gonna kind of blaze through some of the background. There
[4:54:01] was some one-time funding originally approved a couple years ago as part of the grow long
[4:54:05] beach initiative. And then we had, um, the signature project
[4:54:09] division set up in our planning group and the economic development and opportunity
[4:54:13] department had their rise division created. And the partnership between
[4:54:17] economic development and opportunity and cd and public works all led us to work
[4:54:22] together on an rfp so that we could find consulting services to help us design
[4:54:26] a thoughtful, appropriate, um, way of doing advertising,
[4:54:30] uh, opportunities and a, and a program for our city owned spaces.
[4:54:35] when we issued that rfp, we outlined several key project objectives,
[4:54:40] and that is to make sure that we, uh, all centered this effort around something
[4:54:44] that's balanced and that makes sense. So the goals are to make sure that we find
[4:54:48] the best places to put the ads, ways to make the approval process smoother and more
[4:54:52] efficient, and ways to involve the community along the way. We also
[4:54:56] are also using this effort to make sure that we can bring in revenue for the city while making sure the
[4:55:00] advertising itself adds values for residents, local businesses, and fits well in the area.
[4:55:08] the rfp itself went through a competitive process. We, uh, reached out and
[4:55:13] advertised it, tried to generate a as much response as we could, looking for the best expertise
[4:55:17] that meets those goals. At the end of the process, we found that we had two
[4:55:22] responses, which were carefully reviewed by that interdepartmental team, with representatives from
[4:55:26] community development, economic development, and opportunity in public works. That team
[4:55:30] reviewed the proposals, interviewed both proposals, and identified the superlative group as
[4:55:34] the one that best met the project project objectives. Their
[4:55:38] strengths really lie in their unified approach as well as their prior experience
[4:55:42] here in the region, including prior work for, uh, cal state long beach.
[4:55:48] as part of their proposal, we also had a really good partnership structure that was identified in
[4:55:52] their response. Uh, it allows us to make sure that both the, the
[4:55:56] city staff and the consultant have clear roles and responsibilities where city
[4:56:00] staff is leading the community engagement, um, helping with the program level environmental
[4:56:04] review and the updates to the municipal code while the consultant can focus on providing
[4:56:09] us with the subject matter expertise around market analysis, implementation strategies,
[4:56:13] and serve as an advisor.
[4:56:17] and then finally, um, what I'd like to, to make sure we spend some time highlighting
[4:56:22] is that the anticipated project timeline is one that will take place in phases. We're
[4:56:26] gonna have deliverables along the way. We're going to make sure that we end up with a
[4:56:30] muni municipal code updates so we can activate the advertising opportunities, but it
[4:56:34] will be done in phases. The first phase will highlight site visits and stakeholder
[4:56:38] engagement, followed by research and analysis, and then we'll have broader
[4:56:42] community outreach and summarizing of the public input. And then they'll
[4:56:47] be preparing of code updates and conducting the environmental review, and
[4:56:51] then an adoption process with public hearings and review by, uh, various commissioning
[4:56:55] bodies. So a recommendation, uh, before you today
[4:56:59] is, is a request asking to approve the authority to enter into the contract with
[4:57:03] the superlative group for these services so we can get this important work started.
[4:57:10] that concludes my presentation. We're here for any questions.
[4:57:15] alright, thank you. We're gonna go to public comment. We lio martinez,
[4:57:19] fb gray, and mike murchison, lio europe.
[4:57:31] so recommendation
[4:57:35] authorized by the city manager.
[4:57:40] tom, you're lucky that I stress tested
[4:57:45] the political electoral system
[4:57:49] in both long beach and la because you know what
[4:57:53] I would've done with you? Um,
[4:57:57] so this is to award funding
[4:58:02] for a company out of cleveland, ohio. That
[4:58:06] is a big wtf tom towards you.
[4:58:11] again, why are we spending money outside
[4:58:15] of long beach when this money could be allocated
[4:58:20] to local businesses in long beach and
[4:58:24] only that, but guess what? Advertisement is
[4:58:29] the way it's, think of advertising as as awareness.
[4:58:33] awareness. So imagine if local
[4:58:38] residents help drive the awareness
[4:58:42] of long beach, the city, the community that
[4:58:46] they live in. This study would be the best study
[4:58:51] in the planet. But no, we're having
[4:58:56] a company from cleveland, ohio do a study.
[4:59:01] that's a joke. And then lastly,
[4:59:06] 10 seconds to just say, don, I need you to identify
[4:59:10] a cost per meeting because there is a cost
[4:59:14] associated by the minute for a meeting that's gonna last forever.
[4:59:19] the police officers outside ask me, are we through? And I said, no, we're probably
[4:59:23] only halfway. It's unacceptable that everybody
[4:59:27] runs their mouth, but yet we have to stay by a time.
[4:59:31] so what is the cost, meaning by minute so that the residents
[4:59:35] of long beach knows what, how much it takes for, for every syllable.
[4:59:40] but we go over time. Thank you.
[4:59:45] next speaker, please. You've
[4:59:50] kept us all waiting. So, uh, naturally I say go f**k
[4:59:54] rex. Um, super superlative,
[4:59:59] uh, group inc. Is it in? I'm not sure if that's
[5:00:03] correct. I don't know if you included the full name of the company,
[5:00:08] um, that you are wanting to have brand long beach.
[5:00:12] they're from ohio. Um, they work
[5:00:17] on sponsorship, naming rights, valuation, sales, branding,
[5:00:21] consulting. You don't think you want to consult with people in long beach about
[5:00:25] what long beach looks like? I think, you know, people need
[5:00:29] to know that. Um, you don't care about long beach,
[5:00:33] you make these outside pocket deals. You're not even
[5:00:37] looking. You're just looking. Yeah. If anybody's that's logged in
[5:00:41] watching the mayor is not even listening. He doesn't care about businesses here.
[5:00:46] he only cares about lining his pockets. I believe long beach
[5:00:50] is best represents long beach. People in long beach best represent long beach. So
[5:00:54] why don't you hire a consulting firm in long beach? That's
[5:00:59] like the easiest choice. You don't think people in long
[5:01:03] beach know about sponsorship, naming rights by, uh, valuation sales, branding.
[5:01:08] if you actually like took the time and hung out with people in long
[5:01:12] beach, maybe that stupid ass beer can with your picture
[5:01:16] on it would look a little bit better. You
[5:01:20] disrespect all of us in long beach by your lack
[5:01:24] of consideration for the people that live here. You're disgusting
[5:01:29] and people know that. And you can continuously hang out with
[5:01:33] your white supremacist friends, but they will never include you
[5:01:39] ever free palestine. Go f**k yourself, rex.
[5:01:45] let's keep the conversation on topic, on what's on the actual agenda
[5:01:49] tonight. Thank you. Next speaker, please.
[5:01:54] uh, why is this offered to
[5:01:58] ohio? Why are we outsourcing?
[5:02:03] why isn't this contract being offered to workers in long beach? There's no advertising
[5:02:07] think tanks in long beach vibe city. Uh,
[5:02:11] the mayor's proudly toting all the andro jobs to offer the people of long beach weapons,
[5:02:16] manufacturing jobs, blood on our hands opportunities,
[5:02:20] war crimes, jobs. Just why, why can't we offer the workers
[5:02:24] in our city better opportunities than violence? That's all I have to say.
[5:02:32] next speaker, please. Good evening,
[5:02:36] mayor council members. My name is mike murchison. Three years ago I
[5:02:40] brought interstate outdoor advertising out here and met with some of you
[5:02:44] along with city staff to discuss pilot projects for
[5:02:48] advertising on city owned assets. That was three years ago. Nothing came of it.
[5:02:53] it was unfortunate. Recently we were awarded back in
[5:02:58] august of 2025, a contract advertised on lifeguard
[5:03:02] towers. We still don't have that moving forward. In fact,
[5:03:06] there's been no conversation with my client and I checked with him today for over
[5:03:10] a month now. So now you're in the summer season, you're losing the opportunity
[5:03:14] for revenue in our city and I just don't understand it. It's
[5:03:18] gotta move quicker. I look at this consultant contract that you're
[5:03:23] talking about awarding tonight, and I looked at the schedule. There's
[5:03:27] no way you're gonna make the olympics in 2028, that
[5:03:31] that's fool's gold. You have to put out an rfp after
[5:03:35] this consultant comes back with a report. You folks look at that report
[5:03:40] and then you issue out an rfp. There'll be lots of firms that will respond
[5:03:44] to that rfp, but it will be well past the olympics. So the one opportunity
[5:03:48] in our city to gain revenue, substantial revenue,
[5:03:53] unseen revenue like never before for something like the olympics will be gone.
[5:03:58] I just want you to be aware of that. I hope that somebody can tell
[5:04:02] my client what's going on with a lifeguard tower advertising. And I hope
[5:04:06] that you expedite this report from the consultants very,
[5:04:10] very quickly if you actually wanna take advantage of advertising the city of
[5:04:14] long beach. Thank you.
[5:04:19] alright, well thank you all for your, for your, uh, public comment.
[5:04:23] um, I don't see any additional counsel deliberation. Members,
[5:04:27] please cast your vote. Uh, mayor, I do have, oh, I'm sorry. It's not working. Okay.
[5:04:31] council member allen. Alright. Um, so go ahead mary, you were up first.
[5:04:36] thank you, council member. Um, first of all, um,
[5:04:40] you know, advertising in our city
[5:04:44] is going to be very important, especially in the next, um, coming
[5:04:48] years. Of course. Um, we know the potential revenue
[5:04:52] source that this is and the important tools to achieve economic
[5:04:56] and tourism goals. But we also, uh, know that this
[5:05:01] could be a, a point of local pride.
[5:05:05] we are a beautiful coastal city, um, that is
[5:05:09] diverse in language, music and everything that makes life more
[5:05:13] vibrant and welcoming. I hope to see that spirit of
[5:05:17] long beach considered I'm reflected in any proposal.
[5:05:22] I know there's a lot to hash out, so I wanna ask a a couple
[5:05:26] questions. Uh, one being, what is the expected
[5:05:30] timeline of completion for each deliverable of this
[5:05:34] contract and when can we receive a final report back to council?
[5:05:39] if we could start there, please. Yeah, thanks for the question. Um, council members in
[5:05:43] deha. So this is a little bit different than when like a consultant does a whole
[5:05:47] work product and we don't do anything with it until the end and then we come back with a report.
[5:05:52] this is meant to be an iterative process. So the first thing that consultants
[5:05:56] gonna do is kick off, um, the effort, do a lot of work physically
[5:06:01] here in the city to identify our highest value locations for
[5:06:05] advertising, which will allow the city. And that work will occur in the first 90 days.
[5:06:09] and then that will allow the city to be working on what is the right strategy for monetizing
[5:06:13] those highest value locations while the consultant continues to work on the
[5:06:17] next steps. Um, what are the second tier location? What are the
[5:06:22] advertising policies? How do we effectuate that? How do we make sure that an
[5:06:26] advertising company that may approach the city is actually giving the city
[5:06:30] the correct revenue share and that we understand the value of those assets so
[5:06:34] that we can negotiate correctly. Um, so there are aspects of
[5:06:38] the work that will take years, which was alluded to by the public speaker,
[5:06:43] but there is work product that will be delivered to the city within the first 90 days and
[5:06:47] the city will be acting on, the city will be having advertising
[5:06:51] that will be in place prior to the 2028 olympics. There are
[5:06:55] other more complex, um, locations or
[5:06:59] locations that may not be exempt from coastal permitting that may be 36
[5:07:04] months out. But much of the work is front loaded and
[5:07:08] it's not the type of product where you wait until the very end, you package
[5:07:12] up a report, you come back and you don't do anything until after that report. This
[5:07:16] consultant is meant to be an extension of city staff and assist us in
[5:07:21] meeting the city's needs to monetize different assets and provide advertising on
[5:07:25] there. Thank you. So for clarification,
[5:07:29] I'm to understand that it's kind of like a parallel. So we're working,
[5:07:34] um, on the advertising, the consultant is consulting us
[5:07:39] and then, but we're also providing, um, advertisement opportunities
[5:07:44] as we're going and figuring out the next steps. Um,
[5:07:50] so can this, can this be done
[5:07:54] like you said, 90 days? Can you give me like maybe an example of
[5:07:58] what we can expect in those 90 days?
[5:08:03] yeah, so we'll be meeting with each council district, including, uh, with you and your staff.
[5:08:07] and what, uh, the consultant is gonna do in the initial scope is
[5:08:11] identify not all the advertising opportunities, but what are the most
[5:08:15] lucrative locations for outdoor advertising available in the city. So for
[5:08:20] example, in your district, that's gonna include the convention center.
[5:08:24] um, and there are certain opportunities, but also certain constraints. And
[5:08:28] then we wouldn't be meeting with you council member because that's, you know, in,
[5:08:32] in your district. There may be an opportunity at bixby park and
[5:08:36] council district too. So we'd be having, you know, that conversation with council member
[5:08:40] allen. Um, and, and other opportunities, other places on, on
[5:08:44] city facilities, whether it's the expo center and district five, or it's
[5:08:48] howden park and district nine, you know, I don't know 'cause we haven't done the work.
[5:08:53] um, but within that 90 day period, we're gonna understand, not everywhere we could
[5:08:57] put advertising, but in terms of what advertisers are interested, what are the highest
[5:09:02] dollar value opportunities, and that'll give us the opportunity to follow
[5:09:06] up with you as members of the council. Thank you. Thank you,
[5:09:10] director kunz. Um, also I would hope that, um,
[5:09:14] while we are working with these consultants, that they also keep in
[5:09:18] mind that, um, you know, there is going to be, um,
[5:09:22] need, I'm assuming to have the coastal commission involved
[5:09:27] and approvals for anything that's gonna be advertised,
[5:09:31] um, in, in that, in their jurisdiction. So, and
[5:09:35] they move very, very slowly as we all know. So just to keep
[5:09:39] that in mind, yeah, I think we're keeping that in mind, but we also
[5:09:44] have a strategy and not okay. Um, certain things related
[5:09:48] to the mp olympics under state law are not subject to coastal commission jurisdiction.
[5:09:53] um, if we're talking about paint or even, uh,
[5:09:58] signage on an existing building that the coastal commission has previously
[5:10:03] approved, it may or may not be subject to a long process.
[5:10:07] and, and our goal is to advance the city's interest, uh, as
[5:10:11] quickly as possible. But I can't perfectly predict how the, the coastal commission
[5:10:15] will react. And also, I know that we, this is in preparation
[5:10:20] for la 28, um, which I can appreciate, but I
[5:10:24] also think that, you know, this'll probably be here, uh,
[5:10:28] before the olympics, and I'm hoping way after the olympics too, so we can
[5:10:33] continue benefiting from advertising, uh, resources coming
[5:10:37] in. So thank you. Thank you for your work on this.
[5:10:41] thank you. Just, just to continue on that, on that thread, so
[5:10:45] there are a bunch of discussions about sql exemptions and coastal exemptions for 2028.
[5:10:50] how does that factor into this process?
[5:10:55] uh, we expect to use whatever tools are available to
[5:10:59] us. Um, so I mean, it's, it's my position
[5:11:04] that the signage on an existing building that's already permitted does not
[5:11:08] represent an environmental impact within the meaning of those words
[5:11:12] and that law, um, that's obviously subject to others'
[5:11:16] interpretation. Um, installations related to
[5:11:21] the olympics may be subject to other permitting, but may not be subject to
[5:11:25] coastal commission. Um, so we're gonna use every
[5:11:29] tool. I don't, mayor, I don't want
[5:11:33] to get into all of the yeah. Legal strategy here in right open session.
[5:11:38] I certainly think we, you know, we should pay attention to this. I I'm seeing what's
[5:11:42] happening in inglewood and other areas around conflicts, and
[5:11:46] we wanna be intentional about the city's interests because there are a lot of different interests out there,
[5:11:51] whether it's la 28th interest or others' interests. We have to protect
[5:11:55] the city's interests first and foremost. And secondly, I'd rather
[5:11:59] make sure we have the plan, a thoughtful plan, consider all of these dynamics
[5:12:04] before we rush into any agreement with any advertiser.
[5:12:08] we have to make sure that we've conducted our studies and
[5:12:12] ensure that we know what we're negotiating for first and
[5:12:16] foremost and what our rights are as a city. So that's, that's important that we take
[5:12:20] this first step. Yeah, and that's absolutely right. This is a, uh, history has shown us, this is a very litigious
[5:12:25] area. There's a lot of money to be made here. The companies don't always see
[5:12:29] eye to eye with each other. They're all looking for the best deal. There's been lawsuits in la there's
[5:12:33] a lawsuit right now in inglewood, inglewood, uh, and this is a lot more than just changing two
[5:12:37] or three lines in a code. Um, you have to really do it correctly and that's what this team's gonna help us
[5:12:41] do. That's what's important. Okay, great. Thank you. Uh, council member allen,
[5:12:46] I guess, uh, thank you mayor. Um, yeah, I, uh, I do it.
[5:12:50] thank you for the presentation. You know, I am always going to be an
[5:12:54] advocate for small businesses and, and contracting in long beach. Um, especially
[5:12:59] with advertising. This is a small contract. It's really unfortunate that we didn't have any
[5:13:03] minority owned business, woman owned business, um, or any small
[5:13:08] enterprise business apply. Um, I, you said there were only two and,
[5:13:12] and I just, it makes me wonder what are we doing? Um, what can we do better?
[5:13:17] um, because this is, like I said, this is a, this is a small contract and, and why are we
[5:13:21] going to ohio when there's so many? Yeah, and being someone,
[5:13:25] as you guys all know that owned an ad agency right here in the city of long beach, I just don't understand.
[5:13:30] and, and I'm disappointed. And, and, um, I know we have so much great, great talent
[5:13:34] and so many great small businesses here. I'm disappointed that others didn't come forward,
[5:13:39] um, to, um, uh, to a bit on this. But, um,
[5:13:43] just if there's any opportunity from, from a procurement perspective, um,
[5:13:47] to do more outreach or to understand what we can do better to, uh, to,
[5:13:51] uh, support our smaller businesses would be great. I do have a couple of questions
[5:13:55] though. Um, uh, director konz, you said that this is
[5:14:00] an extension of the city staff, but now this is an ohio company, so
[5:14:04] how, how is that gonna work? So this is an ohio headquartered
[5:14:08] company. The majority of their recent work has been here in california,
[5:14:12] including working with the city of santa monica. Um, the city
[5:14:16] of san diego, the san diego transit system, um, with
[5:14:21] cal state long beach here, um, with the larger cal state system, with
[5:14:25] the city of sacramento, palmdale irvine, the san diego
[5:14:29] symphony, um, and, and multiple airports here
[5:14:34] in um, california. So we can always do
[5:14:38] better. We did, uh, reach out to more than 32 long beach businesses. This
[5:14:42] is not an ad agency, this is not, there are a lot of ad agencies. This is a
[5:14:47] service that a couple firms across the country do. Very few,
[5:14:51] um, which is to help us negotiate with the ad agency and
[5:14:55] the outdoor advertising companies and help us understand exactly what the monetary
[5:14:59] value of different, um, assets that we would make available for advertising
[5:15:03] would be, and then come up with the correct mechanisms to get there.
[5:15:08] we always would love to have a long beach firm. That's why we went through the process, um,
[5:15:12] to reach out to long beach firms as well as small firms, even if they weren't
[5:15:16] located in long beach. But this was the best proposal. There was no local
[5:15:21] proposal, um, uh, submitted on this particular procurement. Thank
[5:15:25] you. So, back to my question again. So how, um, this is, if they're based outta
[5:15:29] ohio and they're doing this work, do they have an office here? Do they have someone assigned
[5:15:33] here? How do they, how are they gonna work with our city? Um, just because you named
[5:15:37] all those jobs that they did, doesn't mean they weren't doing it remotely or, I'm
[5:15:41] just trying to understand how, so how our relationship is gonna work with them.
[5:15:46] um, they will travel regardless of if they have an office here.
[5:15:50] and the work does involve physical work here in the city,
[5:15:54] and the staff will be here to do that physical work. So they'll be commuting here to
[5:15:59] work, um, with all of our offices, um, moving forward, is that what
[5:16:03] you're saying? The work that has to be done in person, they will travel for, there's
[5:16:07] other office work that conceivably could be, um,
[5:16:12] done remote, but what's important is they have to fulfill, um, what's outlined in
[5:16:16] the scope. Okay. Alright. Um, so I'm assuming that that travel is part
[5:16:20] of the contract? Well, it's a,
[5:16:24] it's a net sum contract. So whether they spend
[5:16:28] their money on travel or not, travel is sort of their
[5:16:33] problem. Um, they're required to deliver the deliverables,
[5:16:37] um, at the set cost negotiated by the city. Okay. Alright.
[5:16:41] and then, uh, just a follow up. So then that, um, the,
[5:16:45] uh, in 60 days then we're gonna have some deliverables,
[5:16:50] is that what you're saying? Um, uh, yeah, that would come to staff. We're not gonna be back
[5:16:54] at council in 60 days. You're gonna be doing your budget deliberations. But as
[5:16:58] part of the monthly, um, briefings that I hold with each office,
[5:17:02] we will be, um, glad to provide updates. Perfect. And then, um,
[5:17:06] then you're, uh, this is gonna be available and ready for us to go
[5:17:10] out, um, and profit from this before the olympics.
[5:17:15] that's the goal and expectation barring some unforeseen
[5:17:19] event. That's, that's the goal and expectation. Okay. Um, thank you director
[5:17:23] koon. That's the end of my questions. Alright.
[5:17:27] thank you. Members, please cast your vote.
[5:17:40] councilwoman allen councilwoman sorrow both an aye. Thank you.
[5:17:45] received. Motion is carried. Thank you. 37. Please
[5:17:50] report from economic development and opportunity recommendation to execute an agreement in
[5:17:54] any necessary documents with the california governor's office of service
[5:17:59] and community engagement california volunteers to accept grant funding
[5:18:03] up to $2,165,109 of
[5:18:07] state of california general funds for the economic development and opportunity department,
[5:18:12] long beach workforce innovation network and long beach youth service group
[5:18:17] citywide. Alright, well, uh, before we have the, the brief presentation,
[5:18:21] I just want to take a moment and thank california volunteers, the governor's office
[5:18:25] for being such a big partner to us here in the city of long beach. We have some
[5:18:30] incredible service corps programs like long beach public service
[5:18:34] corps, giving recent graduates and seniors
[5:18:38] at long beach state. Cal state, dominguez hills, long beach city college, opportunities
[5:18:43] to work here in city hall with hands-on paid fellowships
[5:18:47] to expose what it's like to work in government, pique their interest
[5:18:52] while they're in that critical, uh, point in their life. And that's one of numerous
[5:18:56] service, uh, youth service corps programs. Um, and this
[5:19:00] funding these programs wouldn't be possible without the funding from the state
[5:19:04] of california. Um, and we're actually about to start our next cohort. I think the
[5:19:09] deadline was today for the next long beach public service corps program.
[5:19:13] um, so we want to continue this. This is one of the more exciting programs
[5:19:17] in the, in the state of all the service cores. Uh, when we were envisioned the program in my
[5:19:22] first year, um, we had no idea. We've become so popular, so successful
[5:19:26] of a program and they play. And these fellows play important roles in the
[5:19:30] city and many of them have landed permanent jobs in the city. So that said, let's have our staff presentation.
[5:19:37] thank you honor mayor and, uh, city council.
[5:19:41] uh, the economic development department respectfully requests
[5:19:45] approval to authorize the city manager or designee to execute
[5:19:50] an agreement and any necessary documents. Subcontract and subsequent
[5:19:54] amendments with the california governor's office of service and community
[5:19:58] engagement, california volunteers to accept and expend up
[5:20:02] to 2.2 million $165,109
[5:20:07] in state of california general fund grant funding for the long beach youth
[5:20:12] service corps program through december 31st, 2027.
[5:20:16] this funding will support the long beach youth service corps, a paid work experience
[5:20:20] program designed to increase youth employment opportunities, promote civic
[5:20:25] engagement, and prepare young people for careers in public service and other
[5:20:29] high growing industries. The program will provide structured work
[5:20:33] experience opportunities for youth and young adults, ages 16 to
[5:20:37] 30, while addressing community priorities related to education,
[5:20:41] climate change, food security, neighborhood re rev
[5:20:45] revitalization and economic recovery. Through
[5:20:50] these initiatives, the long beach workforce innovation network will engage
[5:20:54] participants in a comprehensive career development pathway that includes
[5:20:58] outreach, recruitment, job readiness, preparation, paid work experience,
[5:21:03] mentorship, leadership development, and professional skills. Building
[5:21:08] the funding will also support the continuation and expansion of the
[5:21:12] city's long beach public service corps, fellowship, fire corps,
[5:21:16] creative corps and conservation corps, as well as other partnerships
[5:21:21] with nonprofit organizations serving youth throughout the city. These
[5:21:25] activities are intended to strengthen workforce readiness, increase
[5:21:29] ex exposure to public sector careers, and create
[5:21:34] pathways to employment and education opportunities for the long beach residents.
[5:21:39] thank you for your consideration. And this concludes my report. I welcome
[5:21:43] any questions you may have. Alright, thank you. Uh,
[5:21:47] the system's not really working in front of me. I see one member of the public signed to
[5:21:51] speak rogelio. Okay.
[5:21:55] uh, council member kerr. Yeah, I just
[5:21:59] wanna thank you for the presentation and I think our, the, the
[5:22:03] public service fellows is an incredible program. So of the ones who have come
[5:22:07] through our office, we have one who is getting her advanced degree in public policy, another
[5:22:12] one who is in law school, and a third one who is fully employed, um, at the state department
[5:22:16] of transportation after capital fellowship. So we know, um, and some
[5:22:20] are being hired, not are specifically in the city as well. So I think it's a great
[5:22:24] testament to the vision of what we were planning for young folks, um, bearing
[5:22:29] itself out in what we're seeing happening with the folks who come through this program. So, thank you.
[5:22:33] thank you. Council member thrash took thanks, mayor. Um, I
[5:22:37] just wanna say, um, that I'm so pleased, uh, to be accepting this award.
[5:22:42] um, we recently had a constituent reach out who's a high school student
[5:22:46] who brought his entire class over to learn more about opportunities within our
[5:22:50] community to ensure that teens are able, uh, to gain access
[5:22:55] to employment. Um, and I'm really appreciative that long beach wind is there.
[5:22:59] and then for the continuum of opportunities that are available for those who
[5:23:03] are in the public service fellowship. And I can't say enough about the quality,
[5:23:07] um, and the characteristics of those who have come through our office as a part of that program.
[5:23:12] I look forward to supporting.
[5:23:16] thank you. Was there anybody else signed up? 'cause I'm not seeing no, I, okay.
[5:23:21] alright. Great. Um, well thank you you so much. Let's continue this program. All the
[5:23:25] programs are great. Thanks. California volunteers, uh, members, please cast your vote.
[5:23:36] motion is carried.
[5:23:41] alright. 38.
[5:23:48] I think we've done 38 already. 39. 39.
[5:23:53] report from financial management recommendation to adopt a resolution requesting that the board
[5:23:57] of harbor commissioners approve the fiscal year 2027 budget to
[5:24:02] reflect the final gross revenue amount upon issuance of the harbor department's. Fy
[5:24:06] 26 audited financial statements citywide. Thank you. There's no presentation
[5:24:11] here. One member of the public signed up to speak rogelio.
[5:24:15] seeing, seeing, uh, no further public comment. Members please
[5:24:19] cast your vote.
[5:24:29] motion is carried. Okay.
[5:24:33] uh, item 40, report from human resources recommendation
[5:24:38] to adopt a resolution approving an exception to the 180 day waiting period
[5:24:42] for public agencies to hire ms. Julie bedard for a limited duration to
[5:24:46] work the in the police department citywide julie is the best.
[5:24:51] um, one member of the public signed up to speak rogelio,
[5:24:56] not seeing rogelio members, please cast your vote.
[5:25:06] motion is carried. 41 report from public works. Recommendation
[5:25:10] to find the project exempt from cqa. Accept the filed notice
[5:25:14] of exemption and categorical exclusion prepared in accordance with cqa
[5:25:19] and adopt plans and specifications. And award a contract to excel paving company
[5:25:23] for the construction of the orange avenue backbone, bikeway, and complete
[5:25:28] streets improvement project for a total contract amount not to exceed $22,609,202
[5:25:34] and execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract districts 1, 2, 5, 6,
[5:25:39] and eight. It's a lot of districts. Uh, what we do have a brief presentation
[5:25:43] here. Yes. Joshua hickman, public works
[5:25:47] director. Alright, good evening
[5:25:51] again, mayor. Council members, uh, we're excited to be here for an important
[5:25:56] milestone for an important project, uh, to our critical bikeway safety and
[5:26:00] complete streets projects that's been years in the making. So I know
[5:26:04] this is something you've you've seen before and I'll try to breeze through this relatively
[5:26:08] quickly 'cause I know we're, we're getting a little bit late. So,
[5:26:13] um, the goal of this project is to transform an important corridor
[5:26:17] into a multimodal, uh, area all through the
[5:26:21] districts that were referenced in the recommendation. Uh,
[5:26:26] this is a key connection, uh, of our north south corridor all the
[5:26:30] way from the waterfront to the, the very top of our city.
[5:26:37] so in total, we have over eight miles
[5:26:41] of bike lane and, uh, corridor that's go going to ultimately
[5:26:45] be restored. We've bookended the improvements on the salt
[5:26:49] side from pch to ocean and the north side from 52nd to 72nd.
[5:26:54] uh, what we're doing here with this project is filling in some of those middle gaps of about
[5:26:58] 2.6 miles or 32% of that corridor.
[5:27:02] this will still leave a approximately 1.3 miles
[5:27:06] that runs through city of signal hill that will
[5:27:10] continue to coordinate them to, um, improve that in the future.
[5:27:16] despite that gap through signal hill, you can still see there's a,
[5:27:20] a pretty robust north south bikeway, uh, all throughout the
[5:27:24] city, getting people to the waterfront. Um, in addition to the north south
[5:27:28] corridor, we also have, uh, this bikeway that will connect up with
[5:27:33] 13 existing bike facilities on the streets, uh, shown
[5:27:37] on this slide here.
[5:27:42] so what does the project include? We have, as noted, 2.66 miles
[5:27:47] of bike lanes. We've got 15 new bus stops. We have
[5:27:51] 10 upgraded crosswalks along with the rrr fbs that you learned about
[5:27:55] earlier today. Uh, we also have five protected intersections,
[5:28:00] uh, that include signal upgrades in some cases, ball belts and others,
[5:28:04] some striping and and so on. Uh, you can see the five protected intersections,
[5:28:08] uh, located on this screen. Uh, we're also gonna be doing some
[5:28:12] selective pavement and spot repairs throughout the corridor. Um,
[5:28:17] extensive sidewalk improvements. And then one vegetated swale, which
[5:28:21] you'll see an image of here shortly.
[5:28:25] so there was a, a lot of recent up outreach on this project. Uh, you could see
[5:28:29] a couple dates listed on, on the screen. We did some outreach at mcbride.
[5:28:33] couple, um, uh, heated discussions at
[5:28:37] the expo art center. Uh, we received a number of written
[5:28:42] responses, uh, both at these meetings and afterwards we've,
[5:28:46] um, and then as part of our education outreach process
[5:28:50] and revamping of the, of the design, we came back to the mobility ports
[5:28:54] and infrastructure committee and presented to that, uh, back last fall.
[5:29:01] so as part of that outreach, um, we did add some rapid flashing
[5:29:06] beacons and crosswalks based on the feedback that we received. Uh, we also
[5:29:10] received a number of requests for pedestrian upgrades. So we did, um, add in
[5:29:14] or, or in total going to improve over two and a half miles
[5:29:18] of sidewalks. Um, we, we really looked at minimizing
[5:29:22] the impacts to parking. We heard loud and clear from the community that they wanted
[5:29:27] to minimize, uh, the impacts to parking. So we, we adjusted
[5:29:31] the design accordingly. Um, we also adjusted some of the bus stop locations
[5:29:35] to better accommodate some comments from the community, uh, as well as
[5:29:39] that vegetated swale that I had mentioned.
[5:29:45] so as part of the project, we'll be installing new protected bike lanes at hill street
[5:29:49] to pch and 52nd to bixby. Um,
[5:29:53] before you on the screen is an example of what that would look like.
[5:29:57] uh, just know that in this screen it does show a lot of green
[5:30:01] in the bikeway. One of the other, uh, improvements or revisions
[5:30:05] that we had made as part of the community feedback was some of the reductions to the green within
[5:30:10] the bikeways themselves. As
[5:30:14] noted, we do have 10 crosswalks that are gonna be upgraded as part of this project.
[5:30:18] you can see them here represented on this screen.
[5:30:26] and we have a few examples of the protected intersections. So
[5:30:30] you can see it includes striping crosswalks, um, ball belts.
[5:30:39] and from 19th street is 20th street. We're going to be incorporating because the
[5:30:44] parkway is a a little bit wider in that area, rather than, uh, adding
[5:30:48] a bunch of hardscape, we wanted to add a vegetated bio swell, which has
[5:30:52] the dual benefit of both adding green space and helping treat, uh,
[5:30:57] and enhancing our water quality.
[5:31:02] so this project is largely funded with grant funds. We have over $13 million
[5:31:06] in caltrans a tp funding, uh, that covered both design
[5:31:11] and construction costs. Uh, we're at. We're also allocating and have
[5:31:15] allocated, uh, a number of other funding sources as shown on this
[5:31:19] screen for a total project cost and available funding of
[5:31:24] $29.4 million.
[5:31:28] so next steps, uh, we're hopeful that the project will be awarded tonight. We'll
[5:31:33] meet our grant deadlines. We will then quickly move forward with executing
[5:31:37] the contract, uh, working with the contractor to procure the long lead items.
[5:31:41] uh, get the schedule approved, get the team out there and mobilized
[5:31:45] start construction later this fall and wrap up, uh, approximately two
[5:31:50] years later in fall of 2028.
[5:31:54] that concludes the staff report and we're available to answer any questions. Alright,
[5:31:58] uh, we'll go to public comment. Tara ricky lio martinez.
[5:32:07] uh, good evening mayor and council members. Um, tara regie. I'm president of the california
[5:32:12] heights neighborhood association. I'm speaking on the section of the bike lane between
[5:32:16] bixby avenue and wardlow avenue. Our focus tonight is to ensuring that
[5:32:20] the final design and construction respect the character of the historic district
[5:32:24] and reflect commitments that have already been communicated to the residents. Um,
[5:32:29] we are requesting, um, we would actually like clarification on the spot repairs
[5:32:33] that was noted by the public works director. Will depo repairs between
[5:32:38] bixby and wardlow avenue be in asphalt or concrete? 'cause uh, our concrete
[5:32:42] streets are very important to us. We are requesting that that section of orange
[5:32:46] avenue between, again, bixby and wardlow be repaired using
[5:32:50] concrete rather than asphalt. Um, this request is especially important because
[5:32:54] it was communicated to us that, um, it would not be, uh, slurred
[5:32:58] in asphalt and that it would be done in spot repair. So we would just like clarification on that for
[5:33:03] that section. Um, we asked the city to honor these commitments in
[5:33:07] the meeting that we had earlier this year. Um, secondly, we request
[5:33:11] that the roadway striping within the historic district utilize traditional white markings
[5:33:15] rather than the lime green paint. So we want to thank you again. That was noted in the,
[5:33:19] uh, presentation tonight. So we would like clarification that that would be, um,
[5:33:23] addressed in the section of the historic district. We understand the purpose
[5:33:28] of the bicycle, um, wayfinding and safety enhancements. The highly
[5:33:32] visible lime green striping can have a significant visual impact within a designated
[5:33:37] historic district. So white striping would continue to provide
[5:33:41] guidance and safety while better preserving the historic appearance of the neighborhood.
[5:33:45] our request tonight is not about opposing bicycle safety. It's about ensuring the,
[5:33:49] that infrastructure improvements are implemented in a manner that respects the unique character
[5:33:53] of long beach's historic neighborhoods. We really care so deeply about preserving
[5:33:58] the features that make our neighborhoods special. We believe that safety, um, improvements
[5:34:02] and historic preservation can coexist when projects are thoughtfully designed and implemented.
[5:34:07] so we respectfully ask the council to direct staff to utilize concrete repairs,
[5:34:11] the spot repairs in that section between bixby and wardlow, and to use the white striping
[5:34:15] in the historic district. Thank you so much. Thank
[5:34:19] you. Lio. Okay. Not seeing rogelio. We'll take it back
[5:34:23] behind the rail. Uh, council member kerr.
[5:34:29] yes. Uh, thank you mr. Mayor and thank you, uh, director hickman and the public works team
[5:34:33] for bringing this, uh, one step closer to important traffic safety
[5:34:37] and infrastructure repairs. As mentioned, the presentation, it's been discussed
[5:34:42] previously. This is a citywide project spanning multiple districts that has mentioned 1, 2, 5, 6,
[5:34:47] and eight. It's been a long time in the work, some of it has been completed and awarding the
[5:34:51] contract today brings us that much closer to completion throughout the process
[5:34:55] of designing this portion of the project that runs through district five, I've heard from residents living on
[5:34:59] this corridor that they don't feel safe with the conditions the way that they are. We're hopeful that
[5:35:03] the narrowing of the street and intersections by adding bike lanes
[5:35:08] and bull belts, as well as other safety features like improved crosswalks, transit stops and much
[5:35:12] needed sidewalk improvements, will improve behaviors and meet the overall goals making
[5:35:16] orange avenue a safe street for all. I wanna reiterate my appreciation
[5:35:20] for the public works team for taking a few extra beats to hear community feedback and come up with compromised
[5:35:24] design plan that keeps the impact on residents low while maintaining the goals and needs of the
[5:35:29] overall project. Um, I especially appreciate seeing some of
[5:35:33] the requests by neighbors including in the presentation, including the minimization of green paint where
[5:35:37] possible along the stretch that runs through the historic district. I also look forward to the crosswalk
[5:35:41] enhancements that we're going to see at clayborne and goldfield. Tehachapi, marin, armando.
[5:35:46] these help connect residents across the corridor to schools, businesses, and neighbors on the other
[5:35:50] side, as well as adding a crosswalk to 37th and mid-block
[5:35:54] crossing between 36th and wardlow to help support slower traffic flow and increased
[5:35:58] access to the businesses as you approach wardlow. We've just seen some similar
[5:36:03] crossings installed at carson. Thank you very much. Giving much needed access
[5:36:07] to the park and safety as a whole. I look forward to the safety improvements, the
[5:36:11] overall slowing of existing conditions on orange in the improved access and connectivity
[5:36:15] we're aiming to create with this truly citywide project. Uh,
[5:36:19] and just a couple of questions. Uh, I, we know
[5:36:23] that we're right on the edge of scheduling in terms of awarding this contract,
[5:36:27] so could you speak to why it's important? Number one, that we, uh,
[5:36:31] approve the contract tonight and also, uh, when could
[5:36:35] we expect if awarded, uh, a construction timeline
[5:36:40] so we know which neighborhoods we'll see impact more quickly to be able to
[5:36:44] enter, uh, to talk with our neighbors about it.
[5:36:50] yeah. Great questions. Thank, thank you. And, um, as far
[5:36:54] as what is the urgency of, of doing this this evening? So we do
[5:36:58] have grants, uh, that are funding a big portion or a big chunk of this project
[5:37:02] at, uh, just over 13 million as shown on the budget slide. Um, those grants
[5:37:07] expire here in july and we wanna make sure we get the
[5:37:11] contract awarded, uh, get that all approved, um, before those
[5:37:15] grants expire when we lose those funds. As far as next steps
[5:37:19] for how do we move this project forward, um, assuming the items
[5:37:23] approved tonight, we'll then, uh, quickly engage with our contractor,
[5:37:28] uh, get them on board. They'll have so much time per the contract documents to
[5:37:32] submit a schedule, and then we'll work with them on that mobilization date and the
[5:37:36] phasing of the overall project. So we'll have more, more information,
[5:37:40] uh, around, uh, this fall thereabouts.
[5:37:44] thank you. And then just one last question, if you could share more details on the overall, um, roadway
[5:37:48] repairs for the project and what specific considerations are being made in the historic
[5:37:53] district around concrete? Yeah, sure.
[5:37:57] so yeah, roadway repairs are mainly, um, at the intersections,
[5:38:01] the roadway, uh, the safety intersections that we talked about. So the, the pavement will be fully
[5:38:06] re reconstructed there. Um, and then the spot repairs that we talked about in the concrete. So
[5:38:10] there will be no asphalt overlay of the concrete section from bix speed
[5:38:14] wardlow. Um, at most the project can only afford spot repairs and those spot
[5:38:18] repairs would be done in concrete. Um, we don't have those locations yet,
[5:38:22] so those will be determined. Um, but yeah, they, they will be replaced in concrete.
[5:38:27] great. Thank you.
[5:38:31] alright, thank you. Uh, okay. I'm
[5:38:35] not seeing anyone else. I queued up here. Okay. Councilwoman sorrow and I think council
[5:38:40] second. Oh, okay. Well thank you so much for the presentation. I appreciate
[5:38:44] the community session that was held about this project. Uh,
[5:38:49] a portion of this does go through sixth district and I've
[5:38:53] had heard a lot from members of the ache, uh,
[5:38:57] al sharif. Um, something about that section where
[5:39:02] the street opens up where there's just speeding, just, I don't know, ramps
[5:39:06] up and it goes up the hill on orange to willow.
[5:39:10] so I do appreciate the, the calming measure I think that be put
[5:39:14] in as the bike lanes get installed. But I also wanted to make sure
[5:39:18] to check, you know, there's so many feedback and consideration that was shared with
[5:39:23] the team. Just wondering, how did you at the end of the day come down,
[5:39:27] like, come, come to a consensus on
[5:39:31] the best, uh, design from community feedback, engineering
[5:39:35] standards, safety, traffic operation, and funding constraint,
[5:39:39] like, uh, elise? Yes. So if you can share that I, I'm just
[5:39:43] curious 'cause there's a variety of factors, right? Yeah. I
[5:39:47] can take a a first stab at it and then keith, you can fill in what I miss.
[5:39:51] so from a, uh, big picture kind of zooming out,
[5:39:55] we put together a plan that we thought was really good, really well done.
[5:40:00] we presented that to the community at multiple meetings. We heard a lot of feedback and
[5:40:04] part of the goal behind those community meetings is to understand, uh,
[5:40:08] what did we get right and where can we make improvements? So we heard those improvements.
[5:40:13] um, we, we made revisions to the design, uh, including some of the things
[5:40:17] that we've talked about and then, um, and then got that back out to, to everybody,
[5:40:22] uh, so they could understand what we're proposing and then get it out to bid before,
[5:40:26] um, before we missed out on, on the grant deadline. Yeah. And if you can add, how
[5:40:30] did you end up with deciding on doing bile swell right between 19 and 20th? Because
[5:40:34] that area does have a tendency, um, for,
[5:40:39] for flooding, uh, it when it does rain, but is there, yeah,
[5:40:43] if you can share a little bit that I thought that was interesting. Sure, sure. Yeah, so
[5:40:47] I mean, there's a lot of factors that go into, uh, improving a project and one
[5:40:51] of the things, there's a lot of safety improvements on orange plan for this project. And because
[5:40:55] of the high injury network, so there's high injury network locations along the corridor,
[5:41:00] um, it also takes into account the bike master plan, uh, connecting, really
[5:41:04] creating a backbone to connect north long beach to south long beach. So all those factors
[5:41:08] were, um, really contributed to the overall design. And
[5:41:12] then when it comes to the vegetated swale over there between 19th and
[5:41:17] 20th street, it's kind of a dual benefit there because that's also,
[5:41:21] uh, a location that's on the high injury network. And the idea was to
[5:41:25] narrow the street there to, to slow speeds. Um, but
[5:41:29] also while doing that, instead of having just a, a whole bunch of wide, you know, um,
[5:41:34] concrete hardscape, uh, we thought to include a, a bowel swell so
[5:41:38] that there'd be some aesthetic and water quality benefits as well while making the
[5:41:42] street safer at the same time and adding a tiny bit of
[5:41:46] green space to contribute to some
[5:41:50] cooling effect. Right, ? Yeah, absolutely. Environmental
[5:41:55] benefit for sure. Great. Thank you.
[5:42:00] thank you. Council member th and I support. Thank you.
[5:42:05] all right. We already did public comment. Members, please cast your vote
[5:42:15] and there's two votes here, right? Motion is
[5:42:19] carried. Vote that was the vote on the, uh, se and nepa determination. Great.
[5:42:39] motion is carried. Item 42, report from public
[5:42:43] works recommendation to adopt specifications and award various contracts for
[5:42:48] engineering and street design services and a total aggregate amount not to exceed
[5:42:52] 120 million and to execute all documents necessary to enter into the
[5:42:56] contracts citywide. Two members of the public signed up to speak carolyn
[5:43:01] essex and rogelio martinez. I don't see either of them here.
[5:43:05] alright, me members, please cast your vote
[5:43:24] councils. I'm sorry. Thank you. Motion is carried. Thank
[5:43:28] you. 43, please report from public works recommendation to adopt
[5:43:32] specifications and award contracts to corp belco
[5:43:37] electric and select electric for providing as needed traffic striping
[5:43:41] and signal system construction services in a total aggregate amount, not to exceed
[5:43:45] 30 million and to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contracts
[5:43:49] citywide. Alright, thank you. Is rogelio martinez here for public
[5:43:53] comment? Okay. Seeing none, member members please
[5:43:58] cast your vote.
[5:44:04] motion is carried. Alright, item
[5:44:09] 45, please
[5:44:14] report from technology and innovation recommendation to adopt specifications and award
[5:44:18] various contracts for providing as needed professional and technical services
[5:44:22] in a total annual aggregate amount not to exceed 9 million and
[5:44:27] to execute all documents necessary to enter into the, into the contract citywide.
[5:44:36] okay. Is lio here? Okay. Seeing no public comment
[5:44:40] members please cast your vote. Um, are we on
[5:44:44] item 45? This is 45. Okay. 'cause 43 was on the
[5:44:48] screen. Yeah, the system's a little, a little outta whack tonight.
[5:44:53] this is item 45. That's what you read, correct? Correct. Okay. Item 45.
[5:44:57] item 45 members, please cast your vote.
[5:45:02] motion is carried. Alright, now we are on to item
[5:45:06] 46,
[5:45:13] report from city attorney recommendation to declare ordinance amending the rules of
[5:45:17] the city council by adjusting the city council meeting. Start time, public comment, process
[5:45:22] and supplemental agenda timeline. Read the first time and laid over the next regular meeting
[5:45:26] of the city council for final reading. Thank you.
[5:45:30] so this is our first reading of the very substantive conversation
[5:45:34] that we had our last council meeting. Madam attorney, could you walk us through,
[5:45:39] uh, walk us through where we are in this process?
[5:45:45] good evening, council and mayor. Um, so last week we brought
[5:45:49] this ordinance for our first read. Council had some changes
[5:45:53] to that, um, proposed ordinance. Therefore, today we are
[5:45:57] back for the first read again. Um, so
[5:46:01] we have a first read today, next week is the second read of this ordinance
[5:46:06] and, um, it'll become effective upon signature of
[5:46:10] the mayor, uh, 31 days after. Alright,
[5:46:14] so as we talked about before, this is the timetable needed to
[5:46:18] have this, uh, implemented by the deadline as outlined by state
[5:46:22] law. Um, uh, we have another opportunity for public comment here
[5:46:27] tonight. We have 11 members of the public signed up to speak. I'm not sure who all is
[5:46:31] still here, but I'm gonna read all 11. Joseph ramos, jay,
[5:46:35] corless lee, tara, ricky, dave shukla, gray,
[5:46:40] fb, rohelio martinez kay, jim henigan. And
[5:46:44] amy, if you heard your name, please make your way to the front in no particular order.
[5:46:49] can we get a mover and a seconder on this item? Yeah,
[5:46:54] I think your system's a little. Okay. I will take a verbal, I can get a
[5:46:58] mover. Okay. You need somebody to hit the button or speak up before
[5:47:02] we can begin? Public comment.
[5:47:06] hi, cordless lee here you cyber voice. Just a moment. Just a moment. Cordless. Just one moment. Are you ready?
[5:47:10] no. Just a moment. Did you get it? Just one moment. No, I, I'm still waiting for a moment. Second. Alright, we need you guys to hit a
[5:47:14] button or do a voice. I need a verbal from somebody or we don't do public make a motion.
[5:47:19] anybody this button not working.
[5:47:28] I will take a verbal motion. Anybody wanna raise their hand and be the mover? Seconder,
[5:47:35] I've got oranga as the mover. Can I get a seconder on the,
[5:47:47] if nobody's gonna second the motion, then it's debt tonight. So do you
[5:47:51] wanna thank you council member thrash and took, uh, alright.
[5:47:56] okay, now we can begin. Public comment. We're
[5:48:01] ready. Cluelessly here. East side voice long beach.
[5:48:06] um, I am asking you to vote no on this agenda item.
[5:48:11] um, having looked at it, it, it's, uh, it's about
[5:48:15] sb 7 0 7, adding remote testimony, which
[5:48:20] will increase the length of council meetings. And I'm
[5:48:24] definitely with you on the goal that shorter council meetings
[5:48:28] would be a good thing. But the, um, the proposal
[5:48:32] here, when I look at it, what I'm seeing
[5:48:37] is, um, when you do process improvement activities,
[5:48:41] the normal process is to include all stakeholders in
[5:48:45] a brainstorming session and collect needs and suggestions.
[5:48:50] whoever did this favored council members and staff members
[5:48:55] and completely sacrificed the public. The public
[5:48:59] is also a stakeholder. They have a seat at the table. Every
[5:49:03] item on here is constricting their testimony
[5:49:08] and what that amounts to. I mean, some of 'em when I've brought
[5:49:12] 'em up to other neighborhood leaders and such, and I've said, you know, they
[5:49:16] want all public comment to be done at the beginning of the meeting, and the
[5:49:20] first response to that was that's ridiculous and that
[5:49:25] is ridiculous. Uh,
[5:49:29] what I'd ask here is, you know, if you're trying to shorten meetings,
[5:49:33] I'm, I'd be with you on trying to work on that, but every suggestion
[5:49:38] that I've seen in here, your time's concluded.
[5:49:45] yeah, I don't see 10 remaining. Give 'em the full three. Okay,
[5:49:49] the go to another minute and a half, it's three minutes. Okay.
[5:49:53] well anyway, you know, requiring sign up at 5:30 pm
[5:49:58] and 4:30 pm a lot of people are at work, they can't do that.
[5:50:02] you know, if you're asking that the current process right now allows three
[5:50:06] minutes per person, 90 sections is barely enough for
[5:50:11] a public participant to provide their knowledge and data. And oftentimes
[5:50:15] the members of the public are the experts on the topic and they have important information
[5:50:20] to share. The ordinance is meant to avoid even
[5:50:24] longer council meetings, but in so doing public participation is sidelined
[5:50:29] and becomes fairly meaningless. I would feel sorry for you guys trying
[5:50:33] to reassemble all the, all the reporting,
[5:50:39] public speaking, and then you're supposed to put that back
[5:50:43] together as 46 agenda items come forth.
[5:50:47] I mean, you would have to have a genius mentality to be able to do that.
[5:50:52] are you up for that? I mean, this
[5:50:56] is just very poorly thought out. Thank you.
[5:51:01] thank you. Next speaker, please.
[5:51:05] good evening. Joseph ramos gna. We appreciate that sb 7 0 7
[5:51:10] requires limited changes regarding audio vision, telephonic public comment,
[5:51:14] and we support those changes. However, the draft tonight goes far beyond what state
[5:51:18] law requires and deserves further review before passage as it will cause severe
[5:51:22] damage to public participation, which is the opposite of what the city intends.
[5:51:26] the proposed 60 minute cap on all speakers for agendas items would allow one particular
[5:51:31] controversial item to consume the entire public common period for all items. This would
[5:51:35] wrongfully shut out speakers and all other agendas, items that took the time,
[5:51:39] energy, and effort to show up to speak to the city council on items that are being dec decided
[5:51:44] no 60 minute cap should be created for agendas items. Instead, the mayor already
[5:51:48] has the authority to hold hold over any highly attended item for special meetings
[5:51:53] where all such speakers could be given sufficient time to speak without derailing the regular city
[5:51:57] council meeting. For all other items, it is grossly responsible to
[5:52:01] set a maximum time limit for all speakers without also setting maximum number of agenda
[5:52:05] items. Additionally, the proposal to reduce speaking time on agendas
[5:52:09] items to just 90 seconds by default is a great concern. The number one fear of most
[5:52:14] people in the nation is public speaking. These are not professionals in any in they need time
[5:52:18] to get their word out. The city council is a one and only forum that most residents
[5:52:22] have any experience or time to track. Further, the council deals with highly
[5:52:26] complicated issues that cannot be easily summed up in 90 seconds. No matter how well
[5:52:30] informed or polished the speaker, the existing three minutes should remain as the
[5:52:34] default or not. And only if and when there is overwhelming need should such
[5:52:38] speaker time be reduced further requiring
[5:52:43] all agendas, items, all agendas, item comments to be heard at the beginning of the meeting does
[5:52:47] a serious disservice to all comments that are given. There are literally dozens of unrelated items
[5:52:51] in the consideration. And for comments to be lumped up together is a recipe for failure.
[5:52:56] it means that all in all likelihood, important issues raised and facts provided will have been
[5:53:00] entirely forgotten by the council members by the time they're ready to discuss the item.
[5:53:05] if people do not want to wait for their item to to speak, then they really do not care that
[5:53:09] much about the item. Respect should be shown for those that patiently wait their turn to
[5:53:13] give comments as the item appears on the agenda so that the input can be properly considered and incorporated.
[5:53:18] also, the earliest start time dis dis disenfranchises everyone other than retirees
[5:53:23] and paid staff, most of the community work regular jobs. They cannot take off at 4:30 pm
[5:53:27] in the afternoon. Most cities without full-time city council hold meetings starting at 6:00 pm
[5:53:32] or later to allow residents to have dinner with their families before attending city council meetings.
[5:53:36] we urge the city council to reject this draft at its grossly overreaching on what sb
[5:53:40] 7 0 7 requires and will seriously undermine community engagement. Thank you for your
[5:53:44] time. Thank you. Next speaker,
[5:53:48] please. Um,
[5:53:53] good evening again, mayor and council members. My name is tara ree. Tonight I am now
[5:53:57] speaking as a resident of the fifth district and, um, as also a candidate
[5:54:01] of the fifth district for city council. Um, I wanna make it clear I'm not speaking on behalf
[5:54:05] of the california heights neighborhood association. I'm speaking in opposition to agenda for
[5:54:09] item 46. Throughout my campaign for city council, I've consistently spoken
[5:54:13] about the need for greater transparency, accountability, and public engagement
[5:54:18] in long beach government. In fact, those principles have been the foundation of my
[5:54:22] campaign. That is why I find this proposal so concerning at a time when
[5:54:26] residents are asking for more access to their government, more opportunities to be heard,
[5:54:30] more transparency in the decision making process. This proposal moves us in the
[5:54:35] exact opposite direction. Public comment is not an inconvenience.
[5:54:39] it is one of the most important functions of local government. Residents should have
[5:54:43] the opportunity to hear staff presentations, listen to council discussion, and then provide
[5:54:47] input on specific agenda items before a vote is taken. That is how
[5:54:51] informed public participation works. This proposal would require
[5:54:55] residents to comment on agenda items before they have heard staff reports, before they
[5:54:59] have heard questions from council members and before they have heard the actual debate on the item.
[5:55:04] how can residents provide meaningful input if they're expected to speak before hearing the
[5:55:08] information that is being presented that creates a disconnect between the public and
[5:55:12] the decision making process and weakens the transparency that residents deserve.
[5:55:17] I am de also deeply concerned that this proposal conflicts the requirements
[5:55:21] of the brown act. Government code section 5 4 9 5 4
[5:55:26] 0.3 states that members of the public must be given the opportunity to address legislative
[5:55:30] body before or during consideration of an agenda item. While the
[5:55:34] city may argue that collecting comments at the beginning of a meeting satisfies the word
[5:55:38] before that imp interpretation appears inconsistent with how public
[5:55:43] agencies throughout california have traditionally implemented the brown act. The purpose
[5:55:47] of the public comment is not simply to check a procedural box. The purpose is to
[5:55:51] allow residents to participate meaningfully in the decision making process.
[5:55:56] I'm also concerned that if one or two controversial agenda items consume the
[5:56:00] allotted public comment period, residents wishing to speak on other agenda
[5:56:04] items may lose their opportunity to be heard entirely. That is not
[5:56:08] transparency, that is not public engagement. As someone who just
[5:56:12] spent months knocking on thousands of doors, um, throughout the fifth
[5:56:17] district, I can tell you residents want more involvement in their local government.
[5:56:21] at least half of our district wants more involvement in our local government, not less.
[5:56:25] they want elected officials to listen. They want a seat at the table. They want to
[5:56:29] feel like their voices matter. This proposal sends the wrong message. If
[5:56:33] elected, I would never support reducing opportunities for residents to participate in
[5:56:37] their government. My belief is simple. More public engagement leads to better
[5:56:42] decisions, not fewer. I respectfully urge the council to reject agenda
[5:56:46] item 46 and preserve a public comment process that remains accessible,
[5:56:50] transparent, and consistent with both the spirit and intent of over open
[5:56:55] government laws. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker,
[5:56:59] please.
[5:57:06] uh, so first thing, how dare you keep members outside at the start
[5:57:10] of this meeting and not send staff to check that any speakers were out there.
[5:57:14] so a way to drop the ball on our right to speak. Much like the changes
[5:57:18] proposed in this agenda item, an earlier start time does not serve the public.
[5:57:23] it causes the meeting time to further overlap with typical working hours. There
[5:57:27] should have been a focus on making presentations and comments and questions from the
[5:57:31] council, more efficient and succinct versus stealing time
[5:57:35] from the general public. This council is using sb 7 0 7, which
[5:57:39] only demands telecommunication as an excuse to make sweeping
[5:57:43] changes to speaking time that only benefit the council members and the mayor.
[5:57:48] this council is using the hypothetical forever running public comment as
[5:57:52] a reason to have a fixed total speaking time divvied up by how many people
[5:57:56] sign up, which in some cases could limit a speaker to 60 seconds.
[5:58:00] 60 seconds to try to get out all of your concerns about the city. Presently,
[5:58:05] this council claims these changes are out of concern for us to ensure that these meetings
[5:58:09] don't run too late when time. And again, we've witnessed that public comment is
[5:58:13] not the reason these meetings go over time. Tonight alone, the council spent
[5:58:17] how long thanking each other. It's like sometimes the members feel like they have to say something,
[5:58:21] even if they have nothing to say, they just rephrase what the last member or the last several
[5:58:25] members have said. And this council still goes out of numerical order whenever
[5:58:29] it suits them, which makes it impossible for anyone signed in or hopeful speakers
[5:58:34] to know when that time will come up. Uh, is there still gonna be a
[5:58:38] public comment at the end? I had that question, but I think a speaker might have answered that already.
[5:58:42] um, we would like to know the answer to this before you impose all these new rules on us.
[5:58:47] and, uh, these rules seem to be clearly meant to limit certain people from engaging. They certainly
[5:58:52] don't apply to well off residents that don't need to work every day or can set their own hours.
[5:58:56] and some of us actually want to be here in person to support our allies and
[5:59:00] so that we're not easily censored by bad internet connection
[5:59:05] start times and speaking durations are being adjusted so that the council doesn't have to
[5:59:09] hear from people that are genuinely concerned and disturbed by the direction
[5:59:13] the city's going. There's a word for people in power that aim to silence dissenting
[5:59:17] voices, and it starts as an f. And as far as decorum,
[5:59:22] f**k decorum, I wish this council and people in general cared as
[5:59:26] much about people's actual f*****g lives as it cared about decorum. People
[5:59:30] are dying in ice facilities dying in palestine and lebanon and this council
[5:59:34] passed contracts with companies that enable all of it. And we're worried about
[5:59:38] decorum. Like what a f*****g joke. Recommendations
[5:59:43] later start time to allow more participation of working people. Place
[5:59:47] noncritical presentations and proclamations at the end of meetings, giving priority
[5:59:51] to decisions that affect residents' lives. Allow everyone physically, president
[5:59:55] line to speak, read electronic comments into the record, play
[5:59:59] voice messages during meetings so they can be heard. Help the people be heard and vote no
[6:00:03] on, uh, item 46.
[6:00:09] thank you. Next speaker, please.
[6:00:13] hello, my name is kay. I'll keep this extremely quick. I am highly,
[6:00:18] um, encouraging you to vote against this item, this agenda item.
[6:00:22] the only reason I'm here today is because of the light start. If you guys
[6:00:26] front loaded everyone to the start, I would not be able to speak. And I feel like as
[6:00:31] a citizen of, or a resident of long beach, I have the right to speak.
[6:00:35] I think this is extremely selfish. I think it's inconsiderate
[6:00:40] and I think it only, um, benefits the city council
[6:00:44] members. Thank you for your time.
[6:00:48] thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening.
[6:00:53] almost good morning. Um, I'm a graduate student at cal state long beach and
[6:00:57] a very active member of the long beach community. I do donate
[6:01:01] much of my time and energy to various community groups and nonprofits and
[6:01:06] organize free events for the benefit of the community. I come to city council
[6:01:10] meetings in person to voice my opinion on issues that I'm passionate
[6:01:14] about, but the proposed ordinance in agenda item 46 would
[6:01:18] prohibit me and others from doing so in the future. At
[6:01:22] its core, this proposed ordinance would limit the public's ability to participate
[6:01:26] in local government by reducing speaking time and moving meetings from 5:00 pm
[6:01:30] to 4:00 pm a time when many working residents such as myself are still
[6:01:35] commuting or at work or caring for their families. This proposal
[6:01:39] raises serious concerns under both the brown act and the first amendment.
[6:01:43] the brown act exists to guarantee the public's right to easily attend and
[6:01:47] participate in the meetings of local legislative bodies. This california
[6:01:52] law requires that local legislative bodies conduct the pub public's business
[6:01:56] openly and provide members of the public with the opportunity to
[6:02:00] directly address elected officials on matters within the body's jurisdiction.
[6:02:05] while this law permits reasonable time, place, and manner regulations,
[6:02:09] those restrictions must not be used in a way that effectively suppresses
[6:02:13] public participation. But this, in effect, would do that
[6:02:17] in some cases, this council has already reduced public comment to 90 or
[6:02:22] as even as little as 36 seconds per speaker. 36
[6:02:26] seconds or even 90 seconds, cannot reasonably be described as a meaningful
[6:02:30] opportunity to address the council. I respectfully challenge any
[6:02:34] of you to keep your comments to 90 or 36 seconds. Yeah,
[6:02:38] it's difficult to state a position much less present facts, concerns,
[6:02:42] or recommendations in such an abbreviated period. When public
[6:02:47] participation is reduced to a matter of seconds, the right becomes largely symbolic
[6:02:51] rather than meaningful. The first protect amendment protects not
[6:02:55] only free speech, but also the right of the people to petition their government and public
[6:02:59] comment is one of the primary mechanisms through which we can exercise that
[6:03:03] constitutional right. Government may impose reasonable limitations, but it
[6:03:08] may not erect barriers that substantially burden public participation
[6:03:12] or discourage us from being heard. Unfortunately, the appearance
[6:03:16] created by this ordinance is that public participation is an inconvenience
[6:03:20] to be managed rather than a fundamental right to be protected.
[6:03:25] public participation is not an inconvenience, like a previous speaker said.
[6:03:29] it's an essential safeguard of democracy. If the public
[6:03:33] is speaking, that means the public is engaged and that should be viewed as
[6:03:37] a success, not a problem. Ultimately, the public does
[6:03:42] not exist to accommodate the schedule of the government. Rather, government exists
[6:03:46] to serve the public transparency, accountability and
[6:03:50] meaningful participation are not obstacles to efficient governments governance,
[6:03:55] but rather they are legal requirements and democratic necessities. Your task, please
[6:03:59] do right by the people. Thank you. Alright,
[6:04:04] thank you. Next speaker, please. Something
[6:04:08] very eloquent. However, um, the comrades
[6:04:13] behind me said everything pretty eloquent enough, and I feel that, um,
[6:04:19] there, there's no eloquence in, in, in fascism, what you
[6:04:23] are all doing as participating in fascism. Um,
[6:04:27] this is extremely clear, uh, because it is 11,
[6:04:32] almost 11:11 pm um,
[6:04:36] I don't know how you,
[6:04:41] I mean, I don't even know what to say anymore. Um, you
[6:04:45] are all disgusting. You're all fascist. Whether you
[6:04:50] are democrat or republican or a white supremacist,
[6:04:54] you are limiting our public speech. Um, our first amendment
[6:04:58] allows us to come up here to speak on
[6:05:02] items that you don't even, you know, consider the public's opinion.
[6:05:07] um, most of us that come and wait this long, uh,
[6:05:12] we're actually here to make sure that the public actually knows
[6:05:16] what the f**k you guys are doing because you approve
[6:05:20] everything. You, uh, I don't know, allow, uh, other
[6:05:25] states to have our business instead of staying in, in california in long beach.
[6:05:30] um, you all I can hear in my head,
[6:05:34] I wanna say what I wanna say, but all I keep hearing is you're fascist,
[6:05:38] you're fascist, you're fascist, um, messing
[6:05:42] with our time. I work here in long beach, eight 30
[6:05:46] to 5:00 pm I don't have time to, um,
[6:05:51] get here at four 30. Uh, I don't know, it's pretty late
[6:05:55] at this moment. I know my colleagues have, uh, spoken,
[6:06:00] um, about exactly what needs to happen. Just, just consider the
[6:06:04] fact that the public exists. I know, rex, you don't care.
[6:06:08] megan, we've talked to you before. You don't care. Um,
[6:06:13] I can't even speak on you guys just because, uh,
[6:06:18] of, I don't know. I I, I'm, I'm lost at to words
[6:06:22] and I apologize. I'm tired. Um, I just wanna just keep saying
[6:06:27] you're fascist. You are eroding our first amendment rights.
[6:06:32] you discuss long beach and, um,
[6:06:36] I don't know, go f**k yourselves. Uh, you know, I'm just gonna, I wanna
[6:06:40] use this time, these three minutes that I have, that I've waited all
[6:06:44] week to, or two weeks at this point. I can do that now.
[6:06:49] I can run. See, oh, there it goes. It's
[6:06:53] working. Um, I don't know. This is what you guys do. I want people to see what you
[6:06:57] guys do. We get flustered. Um, I have low
[6:07:02] blood sugar, and this is what you guys do
[6:07:06] to, uh, really hardworking constituents of long beach.
[6:07:10] go f**k yourselves. Thank you. Next speaker, please.
[6:07:17] thank you, mayor, uh, for your attention at this late hour. Uh, and
[6:07:22] the rest of the council, sb 7 0 7, again,
[6:07:26] this is being hijacked or something for something you guys wanna do to cut your, uh,
[6:07:30] having to listen to the people. It sounds like the planning commission does it now, the
[6:07:35] planning commission has, you know, alternating between online and
[6:07:39] in-person comment. I just spoke there and people spoke
[6:07:43] online. It was, it was no big deal. Speaker cards were
[6:07:48] optional. There was no, you know, regulation of you had to have something
[6:07:52] in by a certain time. It seemed to work. They didn't, uh, they're,
[6:07:56] they're, they conduct everything parliamentary just like you guys. It didn't seem to be that much of
[6:08:00] a deal for them. This thing of reducing, maybe you
[6:08:04] could, if you wanna reduce the time, maybe you could reduce or set a time limit for
[6:08:09] staff presentations. You've always, you've got the reports
[6:08:13] already in hand. You don't have to have them read to you, you
[6:08:17] know, verbatim or near verbatim. The
[6:08:22] people submit. There's also an issue that I see where people submit, you know, I've
[6:08:26] written thousands of words, probably over 20 years of, of doing things.
[6:08:31] no assurance that any of it's ever read. I never get to present anything.
[6:08:35] I don't get a time to tell you the research that I did on things.
[6:08:39] you know, very specific, very topical, not wasting your time.
[6:08:44] the idea that somebody would have to put in requests on every agenda
[6:08:48] item, and then speak at all at the start.
[6:08:52] I mean, would rogelio just do everything in a row?
[6:08:57] he'd make every comment from the start to the finish, or would you let him intervene
[6:09:01] with other people? I mean, it's, it's kind of, I I it doesn't
[6:09:05] seem practical. It seems like this isn't well thought out at all.
[6:09:09] the earlier start, obviously people have said it makes it harder for working people. This whole
[6:09:14] thing just seems to distance the, you know,
[6:09:18] government of the city farther and farther from the people.
[6:09:22] you stand up here and you make your presentation as a citizen and then it
[6:09:26] goes back over the rail. You can never an you never answer questions,
[6:09:30] questions are out of order. It's just like, it's this superior, inferior,
[6:09:34] inferior representation. And, you know, that's just the way we have
[6:09:38] to take it. I don't think it has to be that way. I think you could have more
[6:09:43] imagination and have informal sessions
[6:09:47] have something that would let some of this, these things happen in a
[6:09:51] more human to human manner than, you know,
[6:09:55] than a, than some kind of, you know, pecking order.
[6:09:59] it's just, it just doesn't seem to be, you know, something that, that
[6:10:03] works for either the council and the
[6:10:07] government or the people. This, this idea that you're gonna, you know, somehow,
[6:10:12] you know, reduce things to, uh, you
[6:10:16] know, almost a, almost a comical, you know, effort. I, I, when
[6:10:20] I first saw that, I, I just couldn't believe it. I, I couldn't make, thank you, sir. Your time's concluded.
[6:10:24] thank you. Thank you, thank you. Next speaker please.
[6:10:31] thank you, mr. Mayor. City council members.
[6:10:36] um, I'd like to to start by saying
[6:10:40] I appreciate, uh, all the speakers, uh, before me, uh, everything that they said, uh,
[6:10:44] more or less to some degree, except for the whole, you know, uh, antagonistic bits.
[6:10:49] I'm, I'm pretty, pretty much in alignment with. Um,
[6:10:54] I think, uh, specifically the, uh, decoupling
[6:10:59] of public comment from the agenda items. Um,
[6:11:04] and pooling them at, uh, the start of the meeting, uh, would be
[6:11:08] likely a brown act violation. But, uh, if the goal is
[6:11:12] to, uh, implement sb 7 0 7 by the timeline, this
[6:11:17] proposal actually makes it possible for,
[6:11:21] uh, you to do the exact opposite. All it would take is
[6:11:25] eight call-ins, human corporate
[6:11:30] person, agentic eight columns, talking on
[6:11:34] eight items each to completely negate
[6:11:38] and filibuster any attempt by any of the public in the room to
[6:11:42] actually speak on anything. Uh, I think that's, uh, something that's
[6:11:46] a foreseeable consequence of, uh, combining the
[6:11:51] proposal, the proposed ordinance language with, uh, implementing
[6:11:55] sb 7 0 7. I think, uh, if anyone wants to take legal action,
[6:11:59] they can certainly use these public comments, um, on that or with potentially
[6:12:04] the brown act. Um, I would just like,
[6:12:09] in the interest of actually getting things done and not having my own time wasted,
[6:12:13] uh, to spare us all that, uh, it would've been great if teno, you
[6:12:18] hadn't bothered to second this item if we could have just been killed dead and we could maybe come
[6:12:22] back with something better. But, uh, since the goal is to implement
[6:12:27] sb 7 0 7 on, on a timeline and maybe do some other things,
[6:12:31] uh, let's make sure that, uh,
[6:12:36] that the city council isn't, uh, you know, kind of running afoul of any laws.
[6:12:40] so, I'd like to ask, uh, you folks tonight to discuss three
[6:12:45] specific amendments. First is, uh, public
[6:12:49] comment directly after a staff report and directly prior to council discussion.
[6:12:55] so don't decouple. Uh, the second is restore, signup on
[6:12:59] items to, uh, immediately before the item, if not immediately before
[6:13:03] the staff report. And then the third is no 60 minute
[6:13:07] cap. I don't think that's a good idea on all agenda items. I just provided an example
[6:13:11] of how it could be along with sb 7 0 7 hijacking the entire meeting.
[6:13:16] uh, I'm trying to do my best here to help you out, make your jobs easy. It's 11 o'clock at
[6:13:20] night. I can't promise that I could have done better, but here we
[6:13:24] are. Thank you. Thank you. Our final
[6:13:28] speaker, please.
[6:13:35] um, greetings from within and greetings within the
[6:13:39] chamber to you all. Honorable mayor, um,
[6:13:44] new and reappointed council, community
[6:13:49] members and, um, residents. I'm
[6:13:53] here discussing tonight. Um, all the previous, uh,
[6:13:57] issues, uh, earlier that I've just been thinking about and I wrote all these notes.
[6:14:02] um, however, there's just been a lot of serious
[6:14:06] detailed events that have happened personally in my life
[6:14:10] as a result of me speaking out here in, um,
[6:14:14] the chamber and my attempt to not really become
[6:14:20] political, but to be involved in my life
[6:14:24] and in our city and in, um, doing the right thing
[6:14:28] at the right time with the right resources, at the
[6:14:32] right moments, um, trying to use the seven rights
[6:14:36] turn into something different. And I don't have a way to prove
[6:14:41] certain negativities or certain things that have
[6:14:46] happened. Um, however, I know that a lot of people are
[6:14:50] in those positions, which is why I want to send a special
[6:14:55] thank you to the one long beach violence prevention
[6:15:00] presentation this evening for such a great job.
[6:15:04] um, the community would be,
[6:15:09] uh, um, this, this, this community would be a great resource and,
[6:15:13] and open door for a safe haven to have to be
[6:15:17] able to reach out to in the event that we
[6:15:22] are, are facing, um, collective
[6:15:27] issues like, um, being attacked and being placed
[6:15:32] under attack as african americans and really as anybody,
[6:15:36] um, that's out here and with these attacks that we're
[6:15:40] being faced and not being able to prove them or
[6:15:44] to be able to give an example without not being
[6:15:48] safe, which is not the goal. Um, it seems
[6:15:52] like this would be a, a great avenue to
[6:15:58] continue in supporting. So I just wanted to speak out on that.
[6:16:03] and also that I had a, a issue that I needed to reach out to the city
[6:16:07] attorney with. I attempted to reach out to you guys by calling, um, but
[6:16:11] security, like they were late and letting us in here today, um, had
[6:16:15] me outside and they were also very combative with me as usual
[6:16:20] when I enter into like a public style forum such as this. So
[6:16:24] if there's a way that I can reach out to you guys or we could set
[6:16:28] an appointment, I can only do everything on a non-digital off the
[6:16:32] grid scale. My name is nicole, danielle roth. James, thank you for your time.
[6:16:37] thank you. Alright, that concludes public comment.
[6:16:41] just a, just a few comments before we go to council deliberation. So,
[6:16:46] so one, I certainly appreciate that while I'm a number
[6:16:50] of, I'm sorry, I was gonna say, I'm sorry. What's your name?
[6:16:54] amy. Amy, yeah. You are on the list. Okay. I'm pretty sure we asked everybody to line up time
[6:16:58] that you've done this. It's ridiculous. I pretty sure asked everybody to line up, but it's fine. Go ahead. It's ridiculous.
[6:17:02] good evening. Community and council members. Since this agenda item was brought
[6:17:06] forth, might I mention at an extremely poor timing, I have heard it be said on
[6:17:10] multiple different occasions that there is really no other cities to compare to because long beach is
[6:17:15] the first to implement these changes. Well, I'm here to clarify that what you all meant to say is that
[6:17:19] long beach is the first to get screwed over at the convenience of this council.
[6:17:23] the changes set forth are not in any way meant to increase public engagement. They're meant to
[6:17:27] make your job more convenient. I've taken it upon myself to do the research that you and your
[6:17:31] staff apparently haven't taken the time to do. I researched majority of the most populated
[6:17:35] cities in california to compare their city council meetings to ours since long
[6:17:39] beach sits right at number seven in california. And what I found was that long beach's
[6:17:43] current city council meeting model is s**t and is only getting more s**t.
[6:17:48] you guys are acting as if you have to screw the public over in order to satisfy the
[6:17:52] sb 7 0 7 requirements. Take a look at santa ana city council. They've
[6:17:57] been offering virtual comments and their meeting starts at five 30. Or what about oakland
[6:18:01] city council? They've been offering virtual common since march, 2023
[6:18:05] and they have a hundred thousand more residents than we do.
[6:18:10] I've only seen one city that makes speaker sign up before
[6:18:14] the meeting starts, and that's san jose, which has a population of 970,000
[6:18:19] residents more than double long beach's population. So why is
[6:18:23] long beach already limiting us? As is the cities who have public comment in the
[6:18:27] beginning start their meetings later, like six to six 30, which makes sense, that
[6:18:31] makes sense for the working class. I have more research available, which I will be making
[6:18:35] available and why known to the community so they can see just how inaccessible
[6:18:39] long beach currently is and is about to become even less accessible. You guys claim
[6:18:43] the only options are to implement these changes or to go to a full-time council, but
[6:18:47] how many hours is the council currently working? What are the base hours for a part-time council
[6:18:52] member? That's what I want to know. I don't have
[6:18:56] much else. Everybody has already said a lot and
[6:19:00] I'm pretty sure you guys are still gonna move forward with this because that's very typical of you guys.
[6:19:04] and I think it's just, it sends a bigger message of the, um, people
[6:19:08] in power currently that not only in a federal level or a state level,
[6:19:12] but even at a local level. You guys do not listen or represent your constituents. At
[6:19:16] the end of the day. You guys do whatever you want. People will come up here, spend their time
[6:19:21] letting you know that they object these agenda items
[6:19:25] and you still say yes and move forward. Honestly,
[6:19:30] you guys are a disgrace of a city council and
[6:19:34] I don't expect that you guys are gonna take any of this into consideration tonight,
[6:19:39] but it brings me satisfaction to know that people are actually paying attention to
[6:19:43] what you guys are doing. And you guys may have secured your seats this, this time around,
[6:19:48] but people are definitely working against you. And that's all I have to say. And go
[6:19:52] f**k yourselves and you too rex. F**k you. Alright,
[6:19:57] well, I wanna thank everyone for exercising their right to public comment. I think it enriched
[6:20:02] this conversation. Um, just a few notes to the council
[6:20:06] and we'll go to whatever council comments are are needed. So I appreciate
[6:20:10] that long beach. You know, um, contrary to county
[6:20:15] of la, city of la has one of the most expansive public comment processes.
[6:20:20] uh, you comment on every item, you comment before public com before the
[6:20:24] meeting and after the meeting, and we have hearings. And that's,
[6:20:28] uh, you know, um, both of those additional
[6:20:33] agencies have full-time supervisors and full-time city councils and
[6:20:37] have more restrictive public comment policies. All can also
[6:20:41] can respect and appreciate the public comment process because I've been to virtually
[6:20:46] every council meeting since 2010. Um, and I've seen it and I've seen it,
[6:20:50] uh, when it's really good. And I've also seen it when it's really tough. But tonight
[6:20:55] we had about a hundred young people who have to leave and go
[6:20:59] home 'cause they have school tomorrow because our process currently,
[6:21:03] um, you have hearings, you have all of these things that by the time we got to
[6:21:07] their item, most of them had to leave by moving public
[6:21:12] comments to the front of the meeting. You prevent that from happening. You allow people to
[6:21:16] get their comments in while they're here and have a
[6:21:20] more predictable manage, uh, meeting to manage. The other thing I would say,
[6:21:25] um, this is, uh, the requirements to add, uh, the
[6:21:29] virtual, it is a state requirement, but I actually support it. I think we should do virtual and should
[6:21:33] prepare for it. But by no means does that mean that the system we
[6:21:37] put in place today, we lock in, we can actually update this
[6:21:41] and adjust because we know it's a big change to our system. It's not the first
[6:21:45] time that we've changed our system. Now we've been talking about it for a while, so,
[6:21:50] so this is a disruption to the meeting. Um, we've had public comment to the
[6:21:54] meeting, all right, that's, that's your, that's your first warning. It's a disruption to the meeting.
[6:21:59] so, so by making this change,
[6:22:03] you do have the ability in six months or whenever the prerogative the council to
[6:22:07] make adjustments. And it's the same process. You update an ordinance, it's the first reading and
[6:22:11] it second reading. So by no means are you locked in, but we do, and we've been pretty
[6:22:15] transparent about the timetable of the process to meet the state law.
[6:22:20] so that's it. We'll go to, uh, back behind the rail to the council,
[6:22:24] uh, vice mayor . Uh, thank you mayor. Um,
[6:22:29] I may, can you hear me? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[6:22:33] I made previous comments about this the last time around.
[6:22:37] and you know, I stand by those statements, but
[6:22:43] I don't always agree with mandates that come from sacramento.
[6:22:48] some of these mandates are now very well taught out. Not only that,
[6:22:53] they come with no instructions, they come with no,
[6:22:58] uh, guidance as to a hundred proceed. They,
[6:23:02] they just, they just have their mad, their mandate name
[6:23:07] and give to us. You guys take care of it. This is what we want, but
[6:23:11] you guys handle it. And so we're stuck between a rock
[6:23:16] and our, our place and we have to come up with a plan.
[6:23:20] and at end of the plan that we have now is the best we can come
[6:23:24] up with. And we're in the deadline. We're in the deadline. We have to have
[6:23:28] this ordinances passed by when august
[6:23:33] one is the implementation date, correct, july one by july one
[6:23:39] and may on our rules if we adjust or change
[6:23:44] an ordinance between now and then the clerk starts again.
[6:23:49] and we can't afford that because we'll miss a deadline
[6:23:53] and we'll be out of compliance with the state of california.
[6:23:58] so all that to say is that there are
[6:24:02] aspects of this or that I don't like when,
[6:24:06] like, comment me one of 'em. And there are other aspects that I do like,
[6:24:12] you know, uh, uh, uh, 'cause on updated our agenda.
[6:24:18] uh, let's not interrupt again. Let's not interrupt. This isn't public comment. This is
[6:24:22] council deliberation. Thank you. So anyway,
[6:24:27] I made my statement. I'm gonna stand by it. But
[6:24:32] at the end of the day, to make any changes between
[6:24:36] now and july one, we'll just
[6:24:40] throw a mob on our, on our efforts here
[6:24:44] and we'd have to start all over and we'd be out of compliance.
[6:24:48] I don't want that for my city. I don't want, I don't think anybody wants that for
[6:24:52] the city, but we have to move forward
[6:24:57] as is. And if there's any, one thing that I would
[6:25:01] wanna wanna say is that this be a live
[6:25:05] document, meaning that there are gonna be opportunities
[6:25:09] over here until, until we get it right
[6:25:14] to, uh, make changes that we need. Thank you.
[6:25:18] thank you council member ths and took, um, thank you so much, uh, mayor,
[6:25:23] um, you actually, uh, hit on something that I was thinking about as I
[6:25:27] prepare for my vote for today. Um, earlier today we had a
[6:25:31] full house. Um, we had, as you said, you know, a
[6:25:35] hundred, a hundred individuals who were here to support
[6:25:39] a matter that they waited maybe three plus hours for,
[6:25:44] um, and did not have an opportunity to hear from young people who
[6:25:48] had prepared and were very excited about the opportunity to participate.
[6:25:53] um, the goal here, or as much as we can
[6:25:57] is to look for a way to have the most engagement. And earlier
[6:26:01] today we had the most engagement, um, in this room where
[6:26:06] it was filled on both sides. Um, and so trying to find a
[6:26:10] way to capture that engagement, um, at the moment when we
[6:26:14] got a lot of it, uh, was something that was missed today. And help
[6:26:18] me, um, further define why it's so important that we find
[6:26:22] a way to ensure that we give people some sense of when they can
[6:26:26] expect to be heard, uh, on our agenda. Um,
[6:26:30] and especially, uh, young people and those who we've described as having
[6:26:35] difficulties and accessing the meeting. Um, and then by adding the
[6:26:39] virtual option, I do hope that that expands, uh, opportunities for
[6:26:43] people to engage. And as a reminder, we certainly are open
[6:26:47] to, uh, conversations outside of this format in order
[6:26:52] to obtain public input, uh, regarding any matter
[6:26:56] that comes before this council or could or should come before the council. So
[6:27:00] I look forward to, uh, moving forward to remaining in compliance with the state
[6:27:04] that has provided us no financial resources, uh, to do so. No
[6:27:09] guidance otherwise, um, but to make sure that we are compliant so that we
[6:27:13] can continue the business of the city, uh, here in long beach. Thank you.
[6:27:19] thank you. And you know, I'll just say, um, I'm on a number of boards
[6:27:23] that did make the shift to prioritizing public comment up front and the community at
[6:27:27] the end of the day actually appreciates it more. So we've gone through that transition.
[6:27:32] um, la casa is one of those agencies so people know what time public comment is.
[6:27:36] so I wanna remind folks, you still have public comment, it's now prioritized at the beginning.
[6:27:41] there's still three minutes on hearings and there's no hard cap.
[6:27:45] the 60 60 minutes is a guideline that can be continued and 30
[6:27:49] minute increments as a way of continuing public comment and
[6:27:53] is now more accessible because of, um, virtual public comment.
[6:27:58] next is council members in dejas. Thank you.
[6:28:03] um, I was gonna ask city attorney, if you could just explain,
[6:28:07] um, tonight's, um, vote for us. And I, I
[6:28:11] know that there's, you know, we are hearing from public comment, you know,
[6:28:16] um, that to amend. But can you, can you, um,
[6:28:20] go through that and, and tell us what our options
[6:28:25] are, not? Options are.
[6:28:29] thank you, council member. Um, as I um, mentioned earlier
[6:28:33] in this agenda item, um, we came for our first read on this
[6:28:37] ordinance last week. Um, council made changes
[6:28:41] to that proposed ordinance, therefore we have to come back for another
[6:28:46] first read. So the vote tonight is for that first read
[6:28:50] of the changed, um, ordinance. So, um, next week's
[6:28:54] council meeting, that will be the vote on the second read. Um,
[6:28:58] upon the approval of the ordinance, um, it will become effective,
[6:29:03] um, 31 days after the mayor signs that ordinance. So
[6:29:07] to tonight, we are here for the first read. It has to come back next week for a
[6:29:11] second read, and then we will, um, be able to implement it if approved.
[6:29:19] thank you. Council member carr? Sure. I just had the similar
[6:29:23] question. Um, if there's a way that we could do implementation of 7 0 7
[6:29:27] and the online comments, um, and wait six months to
[6:29:31] study the public comment structure after that, if we were to make
[6:29:35] that change, does that allow for implementation before
[6:29:40] july one? Because I know we don't meet for a couple weeks in july, so I'm just
[6:29:44] asking what the timeline is on that, if it were to come back again.
[6:29:51] so your proposed, um, change to the ordinance would
[6:29:55] require us to come back for another first read. Um,
[6:30:00] we could, if approved by the council, we could not adopt this
[6:30:04] ordinance tonight and so we would not come back for a second read. Um,
[6:30:09] then when we, uh, return from recess in july, we would
[6:30:13] have the current process in terms of the order of business. We would
[6:30:17] implement the virtual comments according to the, uh, current
[6:30:22] ordinance in which we would have virtual comment for each,
[6:30:26] um, agenda item as it is called.
[6:30:31] okay. Thank you for the clarification. Thank you council
[6:30:35] member allen. Uh, thank you. Um, so, um, this might be
[6:30:40] a question for a city attorney. What is, what are the repercussions if
[6:30:44] we are not in compliance with 7 0 7?
[6:30:51] uh, 7 0 7 amends the brown act? So, uh, that would open the city
[6:30:55] to liability for a lawsuit, for a violation of the brown act.
[6:31:00] okay. And, and what is, what what, um, I guess can
[6:31:04] you, is there any way, can you tell us like what, what is a violation of the brown act? Is that like
[6:31:08] a fine or like what, what is, as
[6:31:12] the council member uranga said earlier, vice mayor uranga, a lot of times
[6:31:16] the state does things and doesn't give a lot of direction. So there's not a lot of clarity
[6:31:20] as to what, uh, the repercussions are for violations of the brown act. The courts
[6:31:25] have a good amount of jurisdiction of what to do in those cases. Yeah, there's a lot of
[6:31:29] vagueness there. Okay, thank you city attorney. I appreciate your, um, and then also, so
[6:31:33] I guess I'm just following up on, uh, councilman kers. So if,
[6:31:37] um, if, is there any way that we can look at
[6:31:41] this like a couple months in and evaluate it and say, you know, maybe there
[6:31:46] has to be some changes, but if that goes into, uh, if we were to
[6:31:50] ask for that, then that would be, we would need another first reading. Is that correct?
[6:31:55] yes. If council adopts this ordinance as written, um,
[6:31:59] we always have the ability, council always has the ability to amend the municipal code
[6:32:03] that is within their right. We could implement this, see how
[6:32:07] it goes for, uh, whatever time period council deems appropriate
[6:32:12] and come back with, um, a proposed ordinance based on what we've
[6:32:16] seen so far, um, on the order of business.
[6:32:20] okay. Alright, that's good. That's what I needed to know, so, okay. Thank you. 'cause I think it's
[6:32:24] important that we're gonna, um, I mean this, there's
[6:32:28] a lot of great, uh, uh, comments and I know
[6:32:32] I've got a, uh, about 20 emails today and there's just a lot of
[6:32:36] good suggestions. So I think as long as we recognize that this is something that
[6:32:41] none of the cities have implemented yet, and we're all trying to figure this out, and if we need to make changes
[6:32:45] down the road, we can do that. So, all right. Thank you.
[6:32:50] thank you. So just to be, just to be clear, I think we gave some direction to come back in six
[6:32:54] months with, with, you know, opportunities for revision that's
[6:32:58] already reflected, right? Um, it's not in the ordinance, but it's
[6:33:02] on our to-do list. It's a part of to-do list in the direction. So let's make sure that that's called out
[6:33:06] as a part of adopting this, that there will be a six month check-in for whatever
[6:33:10] adjustments. If we find that there's not a lot of demand on the virtual and
[6:33:14] we're re and we're, you know, um, there's a lot more time.
[6:33:18] and I think we can look at whatever adjustments that make. I think the priority is to
[6:33:23] make public comment earlier and more accessible for as many people as possible.
[6:33:27] uh, all right. Members, please cast your vote.
[6:33:41] aye. Council member motion is carried.
[6:33:46] thank you. 47, please
[6:33:51] report from technology and innovation recommendation to declare proposition l ordinance
[6:33:55] read the first time and late over the next regular meeting of the city council for final reading,
[6:33:59] which makes findings and determinations regarding contracting of utility bill
[6:34:04] printing citywide. Alright,
[6:34:08] uh, there's one member of the public signed up to speak lio.
[6:34:12] okay, lio is not here. Members, please cast your vote
[6:34:27] vice mayor an aye received. Thank you.
[6:34:31] motion is carried. Alright. 48
[6:34:35] report from community development recommendation to declare ordinance adopting zoning code
[6:34:40] amendment to amend the existing inclusionary housing ordinance to implement suggested
[6:34:44] modifications made by the california coastal commission, red and adopted as red citywide.
[6:34:50] thank you. Is lio here for public comment? Seeing none members please
[6:34:54] cast your vote.
[6:35:02] councilwoman kerr, oh, sorry. Motion is carried. 50.
[6:35:07] please
[6:35:12] report from city attorney recommendation to declare ordinance amending the long beach municipal
[6:35:16] code related to speed limits. Read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the city
[6:35:20] council for final reading. Uh, is rogelio here for
[6:35:25] public comment saying none members please cast your vote. I have a
[6:35:29] question. Oh, question. Okay. Council member carr question.
[6:35:33] yeah, sorry, I just a quick clarification. I wanna thank the traffic engineering and,
[6:35:38] uh, public works team for bringing this forward. So we went
[6:35:42] back and forth a little bit with you in our office. Uh, wanting to point out the ordinance has written appears to
[6:35:46] be counterproductive in some ways, specifically on the list of speed limits increased section
[6:35:51] 10 point 12.010 due to factors indicating that 25
[6:35:55] miles per hour is lower than reasonable as we continue to push for safer
[6:35:59] streets and slower speeds. I'm concerned with the wording and the edits made in the
[6:36:03] list that says speed limits increased. Uh, many of the deletions in the section
[6:36:07] appear to eliminate redundancies as they're listed as 25 miles per hour anyway,
[6:36:12] but just wanted to make sure that the edits in this section are inadvertently raising any speed
[6:36:16] limits above their current posted speeds.
[6:36:23] thanks for allowing us to clarify here. So, um, basically
[6:36:27] to summarize, the state assigns two default speed limits, uh, 55
[6:36:32] for rural, uh, 25 for commercial and residential. Uh, the city
[6:36:36] does have, uh, ordinances on the books that have higher speed limits that were
[6:36:40] established in the past. A lot of what we're talking about here tonight is
[6:36:44] repealing those older, uh, studies saying we should let people drive
[6:36:48] faster. Uh, a lot of those were in residential context, uh, so
[6:36:53] we're proposing to repeal a lot of those. Looking at the
[6:36:57] pdf, it is kind of strange to look at it and see jump
[6:37:01] out at you. Uh, speed limits increased, uh, but that's, uh,
[6:37:05] just how that's written responsive to state code. Uh, we are planning on
[6:37:10] reducing exclusively or reducing speed limits
[6:37:14] with these changes. We aren't proposing any increases by striking that
[6:37:18] out, that doesn't inadvertently raise something that might be at 15 miles an hour up to 25.
[6:37:22] no. Okay, perfect. Just one clarification. Thank you. Councilman
[6:37:26] braun? Uh, yes. Um, I just wanna thank the city attorney's office for
[6:37:30] putting this ordinance together and, um, the work that has been done in helping
[6:37:35] to move these speed limits forward. Um, I am extremely, uh, supportive
[6:37:39] of efforts to slow down traffic throughout our city. I know that we hear from
[6:37:43] residents all the time about speeding unsafe intersections and the need for
[6:37:47] safer streets, especially in our neighborhoods and along corridors where
[6:37:51] people are walking, biking, and crossing every day. Um, I'm especially glad
[6:37:55] to see that the impact, uh, this will have on district two, including
[6:38:00] reductions along corridors like ocean, redondo and seventh street.
[6:38:05] and, uh, for me, I live on ocean boulevard, and that's especially important. I live on,
[6:38:09] um, I see firsthand how fast those cars go down. Ocean.
[6:38:13] oh, I hear it when I sleep. I, it's just, it, it is pretty crazy on that street.
[6:38:18] so I'm, I'm especially happy. Um, I know that we've had a lot of
[6:38:22] accidents and close calls along the corridor and slowing, um, down the traffic's,
[6:38:26] one way that we can help make the area, um, safer for residents,
[6:38:31] pedestrians, and cyclists. So I look forward to, uh, continuing
[6:38:35] our work and identifying additional opportunities to calm traffic
[6:38:39] down. So, thank you very much.
[6:38:45] all right, members, please cast your vote.
[6:38:55] motion is carried. Thank you. Now we'll have our closing public
[6:38:59] comment, please. I have seven members of the public se seven members of the public
[6:39:03] signed up to speak. Lourdes dixon. Is lourdes here?
[6:39:07] okay. Fb. Is fb here? Yes, he's here
[6:39:19] after fb. Is dave shukla? Is dave still here? Shela.
[6:39:23] okay. Is k here? Is k here?
[6:39:29] okay, we're gonna scratch. K uh, rogelio is gone. Is
[6:39:33] gray here? Okay. And amy.
[6:39:38] okay, so we have three fb, gray and amy.
[6:39:47] oh, nice. You put it, you lift it up there.
[6:39:51] all right. Well, as you can see, this says andre out of long beach,
[6:39:55] andrel, out of everywhere. Um, andre is a
[6:39:59] weapons manufacturer that our dishonorable mayor, um,
[6:40:03] loves to talk about another company
[6:40:08] yet to line his pockets. Your children will be,
[6:40:12] um, very disappointed by you, not only because
[6:40:16] you're doing these shady deals, but
[6:40:21] shame on you for showing up at rock sands. This last
[6:40:25] week or last weekend, I think, um, you
[6:40:29] were, you invited adam schiff, the same adam schiff
[6:40:33] that has taken $5.6 million from apac. That's,
[6:40:38] uh, this is the same, uh, uh, adam
[6:40:42] schiff that has done nothing to stop
[6:40:47] any of the wars, any of the devastation in palestine.
[6:40:51] um, you by hanging out with adam schiff, I saw you,
[6:40:55] we saw you at the bera, uh, um,
[6:41:00] event, and you saluted yes to genocide. So
[6:41:04] that's pretty disgusting and pretty like dishonorable. You're
[6:41:09] okay with hanging out with war criminals. And not only that, but,
[6:41:14] uh, dr. Joanie, uh, was also there.
[6:41:18] I think megan, you were there and mary zendejas was there. You guys are all hanging
[6:41:22] out with war criminals. The the thing is, is that
[6:41:26] this, the public comments are all receipts for us
[6:41:30] down the line to make sure that when people
[6:41:35] side with war, criminals and fascists, your time will come
[6:41:39] and your children will hate you all. And they all know, they will
[6:41:43] all know that you guys have sided with war criminals
[6:41:48] and disgusting people like palmer lucky who
[6:41:52] loves, and andrew, just like our dishonorable
[6:41:57] mayor, who loves lining his pockets with disgusting
[6:42:01] human beings. Um, I don't know what else
[6:42:05] to say. You have no shame you discuss us all. And,
[6:42:09] uh, I don't know. I, I really wish I can really, really,
[6:42:14] really, truly say what I wanna say. Um, all I can say is I
[6:42:18] encourage all of the public to publicly shame every individual
[6:42:22] that we see here. Please, if you see mary zendejas
[6:42:26] publicly, shame her. Please. If you see cindy allen in public
[6:42:30] publicly, shame her. If you see christina dugan, please publicly shame
[6:42:35] her. If you see megan kerr, please publicly shame her. If you see
[6:42:39] rex, definitely shame him. He shames himself. He doesn't need help. But
[6:42:43] we can use it now. Uh, actually sorrow, you're cool sometimes.
[6:42:48] um, yanga everybody, please shame him. And thrashing
[6:42:52] took you, discussed me. Please shame her. Disgusting pieces of
[6:42:56] s**t. That's your time. Next.
[6:43:10] uh, the city didn't do enough to protect the community from ice in our streets
[6:43:14] and isn't doing enough to oppose the entity as a whole. And the dhs
[6:43:18] now stop passing contracts with companies that support them.
[6:43:23] according to the guardian, pregnant unaccompanied minors were rounded up
[6:43:27] and sent to san bonino, texas. It is unknown if they're being given appropriate
[6:43:31] care, especially given texas's abortion ban and the high risk condition
[6:43:36] of these girls. Since communication with these children is being blocked,
[6:43:40] no one is currently able to account for their whereabouts, let alone their wellbeing.
[6:43:44] even members of congress have no access to information about the circumstances of
[6:43:48] immigration. Detainees. The democrat senator from new jersey was
[6:43:52] sprayed with pepper balls outside the ice facility, delaney hall.
[6:43:56] this is the same facility where detainees have been on a hunger strike to protest
[6:44:00] their horrible conditions. Lack of safe, nutritious food, inadequate
[6:44:04] medical care, outbreaks of infectious disease. 32 people have
[6:44:08] died in ice custody in 2025, making it their deadliest year in over
[6:44:13] two decades. The toll as of last month is up to 60 people.
[6:44:17] two people died after being dropped off by border patrol in the middle of nowhere without notifying
[6:44:21] any relatives in freezing weather. Dhs reports that because
[6:44:26] they weren't in their custody when they died, it wasn't their problem. That
[6:44:30] is their federal policy. Again, people are dying and
[6:44:34] this council is worried about decorum tonight. Our neighbors in garden grove
[6:44:38] are confronting representatives from gkn and I hope they give them hell their
[6:44:42] city failed to protect them from a weapons manufacturing facility that put them all
[6:44:46] at risk, mass evacuation, not enough time to safely move all their
[6:44:51] pets. Unclear and contradictory instructions about safety zones. And now
[6:44:55] our city is planning to welcome andrew. Not only has
[6:44:59] business ties to gkn, its shares a focus on advanced aerospace and defense
[6:45:04] technologies. Android is known for its uavs, un
[6:45:08] crewed aerial vehicles, aka killing machines. What is
[6:45:12] this? The vibe of long beach death, death to homeless death to palestinians
[6:45:16] abroad, death to immigrants and ice custody. It's council. So focused on big
[6:45:20] events like the olympics, which is just used to justify increasing police
[6:45:24] presence in the city and increasing their budget. I would love it if my long beach taxes actually
[6:45:28] went to my community for once. Andrew brags that with the addition of a long beach
[6:45:32] campus, which is only 30 minutes from their costa mesa site and 90 minutes from their capistrano
[6:45:37] site, that it will allow quick design, testing and iteration. I already don't
[6:45:41] support what andel is doing. I certainly don't want my tax money and my city to help them be
[6:45:45] more efficient in doing it. How long before long beach has its own gkn event?
[6:45:50] how long before this proposed weapons manufacturing facility causes a residential crisis?
[6:45:55] gkn aerospace out of garden grove andel out of long beach and free
[6:45:59] palestine. Free palestine pieces of s**t. Actually, you guys can
[6:46:03] keep those. Oh, there's one more person to speak.
[6:46:13] yeah, actually I, um,
[6:46:18] yeah, I'm not gonna be eloquent at all, honestly. Rex, go f**k yourself.
[6:46:23] I wanna see where in the ordinance it says that we have to line up here like kindergartners, because I've
[6:46:27] been to other city council meetings and they don't make their constituents do like that. It's f*****g ridiculous
[6:46:31] that you can't even wait 15 seconds for your constituent to come up here and walk.
[6:46:36] you have no respect for the people that you work for. So let me just
[6:46:40] start there. And you, I heard a lot about how a
[6:46:44] hundred students came and a hundred people came and they couldn't talk. That was because
[6:46:48] of you guys, because you canceled two meetings this month. And so everything has to fit
[6:46:52] in this meeting and the next meeting. Which brings me to my next point. How many hours,
[6:46:56] again does the part-time council work? Because if you're only doing two meetings
[6:47:00] this month, let's say 16 hours, if that, where
[6:47:04] else is your time going? To? How much time do you guys owe your constituents?
[6:47:08] and where can I get that information? Because I know that you guys don't make it transparent, but it is public
[6:47:13] knowledge. So where can I get that information? And that is an actual question. I dunno who I get
[6:47:17] that from, but I would like to know how many hours you guys are paying or working for your constituents.
[6:47:21] it's f*****g b******t that you can't even wait 15 seconds. But you guys only wanna work 16
[6:47:26] hours a month. And then what? Come in at four 30.
[6:47:30] not have to wait for people that you don't like listening to until the end of the meeting. You wanna go
[6:47:34] home? We wanna f*****g go home too. We're working class. I have work in a couple of hours.
[6:47:38] it's almost midnight. Obviously. We're here because we care.
[6:47:45] I I don't have much else to say besides, f**k you, rex. Yep. F**k
[6:47:49] you rex. Free palestine pieces of s**t. All right, thank you. That
[6:47:53] concludes public comment. We now move on to closing
[6:47:57] adjournment and announcements.
[6:48:02] queue up now if you have any announcements. All right, council member thresh and to,
[6:48:08] so this past saturday, my team was able to host a cleanup in jackson park.
[6:48:12] we collected 1.4 or five tons of trash. That's about 2,900
[6:48:18] pounds taken off the street and properly, uh, recycled
[6:48:22] and collected accordingly. I wanna thank our jackson park residents who
[6:48:26] are out there regularly with our public works clean team for supporting
[6:48:30] our neighborhood. I recently co-sponsored a habitat for humanity homo
[6:48:35] ship education event this past saturday. Residents who are interested
[6:48:39] in home ownership learned about habitat services and hud counseling
[6:48:43] services. It was a great way to be able to see how residents could
[6:48:48] get connected towards making sure they had the resources for being able
[6:48:52] to take the step towards home ownership. I wanna congratulate our
[6:48:56] long beach fire department today. Uh, the fire department badge
[6:49:00] ceremony was held where personnel and firefighters received promotions for
[6:49:04] their hard work core courage and achievements in the city. Congratulations
[6:49:09] to all who were able to celebrate their accomplishments today
[6:49:14] and later on this week, we hope you'll join us at the ridgewood triangle neighborhood
[6:49:18] association out there several times a month. This saturday, june 13th
[6:49:22] from eight 30, uh, in the morning they'll be set up. We'll be able
[6:49:26] to do large pickup items and have a dedicated dumpster accordingly. So
[6:49:30] if you've got some additional spring cleaning that needs to be done, make sure you bring that
[6:49:34] out, um, so that we can continue to beautify our neighborhood. Thank
[6:49:38] you.
[6:49:44] council member kerr. Thank you. Uh, firstly, I'd like to invite you all out to the annual church
[6:49:48] rummage sale happening at cal heights united methodist church. It's been going on for as long as I can
[6:49:52] remember. This sale is for gently used items such as closed shoes, jewelry, household goods,
[6:49:56] and collect collectibles. It takes place thursday the 11th and friday the
[6:50:01] 12th, starting at 8:00 am ending at six. And on saturday you can fill a bag for
[6:50:05] $8 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Uh, next, consider stopping
[6:50:09] by willow springs park for the monthly west restoration friday, on friday, june 12th
[6:50:13] from two to three 30. Enjoy connecting with our community and our local ecosystem.
[6:50:17] you can help with various tax tasks such as watering, tending to
[6:50:21] native plants, picking up litter, mulching, trail maintenance, and stewarding the park.
[6:50:25] uh, parking is available at 27 45 orange, and
[6:50:30] both bixby highland, as said and bixby are hosting clean streets events
[6:50:34] this saturday, june 13th from eight 30 to nine 30 for bixby highland, you can meet at the bixby
[6:50:38] knowles christian church located at 1240 east carson street.
[6:50:42] and on saturday, june 13th, parkview village is hosting their second saturday's event.
[6:50:46] this theme is dad fest. In celebration of father's day, come and celebrate and
[6:50:50] enjoy the fest of block party with 40 artisan vendors, games, arts crafts, and more
[6:50:54] entry is free. Thanks so much. Thank you. Council members
[6:50:58] and dejas. Hi, um,
[6:51:03] I invite everyone to join us for the craft fence village community
[6:51:08] cleanup on saturday june 13th, beginning at 8:30 am
[6:51:13] um, details will be announced soon about the location.
[6:51:17] also, district one resource fair this saturday, june 13th
[6:51:22] from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the jenny pesa
[6:51:26] community center. Also, um, la galaxy
[6:51:31] soccer celebration, um, from june 11th
[6:51:35] to the 27th in downtown long beach. These events
[6:51:39] will feature world cup watch parties, family friendly
[6:51:43] activities, special appearances and interactive experiences
[6:51:48] for soccer fans of all ages. Um, looking forward to
[6:51:52] seeing everybody out there. Um, lastly, my state
[6:51:56] of the city, 2026, sorry, state of the district will
[6:52:01] be held on wednesday, june 24th at 6:00 pm
[6:52:05] in the long beach city hall lobby. Um, hope to see all of you there.
[6:52:12] alright, well, thanks everyone, uh, for uh, this
[6:52:16] meeting. It's now adjourned. Have a good night,
[6:52:22] luck. Have a night with less profanity, more positivity.
[6:52:26] hugs to.