On June 8^th, the City of Long Beach appointed Katy Nomura to the Deputy City Manager position. The Deputy City Manager works with the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager on the City’s Executive Management Team which is responsible for implementing the City’s policies and programs. The Deputy City Manager will also be working alongside all the Department Directors to ensure that policies and programs that the City Council implement are enacted smoothly.

Ms. Nomura will be starting her new role as Deputy City Manager on June 20th. Katy Nomura is no stranger to the position as she is the current Deputy City Manager for the City of Cupertino. She has worked 10 years at the City of Cupertino where she oversees critical components of the city’s operations, such as sustainability, legislative affairs, economic development, communications, and emergency services. “Notably, she improved the city’s strategic planning and budget processes; revamped the Office of Emergency Management which improved the city’s COVID-19 emergency response efforts; and spearheaded partnerships with neighboring agencies for drought response, policy development, and emergency planning”.

In addition to her decade-long relevant work experience has a lengthy education background. “Ms. Nomura is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration from San Jose State University, holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Quantic School of Business and Technology, and holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Berkley, one in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and another in Conservation and Resource Studies”. 

The Zoning Administrator Hearings are held twice each month on the second and fourth Mondays and are responsible for processing Standards Variances, Coastal Permits, Minor Lot Line Adjustments, Legalization of Illegal Units, and Lot Mergers. The Administrative Use Permit was approved on May 23^rd to operate an emergency shelter that will be located on 1718-1722 Hayes Avenue within the city’s General Industrial Zoning District. The emergency shelter will be operating in an existing 5,500-square-foot industrial building that will provide shelter for at least 12 individuals. The emergency will be permanent housing for the 12 individuals and will include a storage facility for their items “so they can go to work and collect belongings at the end of the day”.

According to the design plans, the emergency shelters are not individual units. Instead, there will be a shared sleeping area that will provide 6 beds for women and 6 beds for men. There will be a shared laundry room, community area, two showers, a kitchenette, and two restrooms. The building will also have a secured lobby, administrative offices, a separate employee restroom, a janitor’s room, and a small kitchenette area for employees. There will be approximately 59 storage units for individuals to utilize for their items.

The next Zoning Administration Hearing will be held on Monday, June 13 at 2:00 pm via teleconference. The next meeting has four items on the agenda.

Information on the meeting teleconference link, password, and archived agendas are located HERE. 

Due to increasing COVID-19 cases across Los Angeles County, the City of Long Beach will continue their mask requirement for passengers who are 2 years or older on public transit and at indoor transportation hubs regardless of vaccination status. Examples of transit methods are buses, commuter trains, and ride shares. Since April 11^th, the city of Long Beach has seen “a steady growth rate” and the last week of May 28th has seen a spike in “nearly 1,600 new cases”. This spike has led the city and the county to be from “low” to “medium” virus-activity levels. Thankfully, hospitalizations and deaths have remained low “with health officials attributing [the low death and hospitalization] results to the vaccine”.

Department officials have been monitoring cases within the city and as of June, there has been a “rate of 230 per 100,000 [cases known] which is more than triple what it was around April”. The vaccinated statistic for Long Beach is “69.7% of residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus, while just under 77% have received at least one dose”. As for the near future, “the department will reevaluate the masking requirement every 30 days”. If cases drop below 50 per 100,000 or “if the CDC announces people are no longer required to wear masks in transportation corridors” the city will loosen the restriction. According to the Long Beach Transit website, “federal law requires the proper wearing of face masks over your mouth and nose” and that “face masks are to be worn on busses at all times”. If passengers do not comply with the mask mandate, then the “result [can be] in denial of boarding or removal and may result in penalties”. 

For more information, please contact Mary Frances Torres, SR/WA, Acting Real Estate Development Bureau Manager, Economic Development Department, at mary.torres@longbeach.gov.