City of Long Beach

Share Your FY27 Priorities | 2 Budget Meetings Remain

The City of Long Beach is inviting members of the public to participate in the City’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget development process by sharing their service priorities at one of the upcoming community budget meetings or by completing the Long Beach Budget Priority Survey.

As of today, Jan. 30, there are two remaining meetings in this early stage of the FY27 Budget Cycle. See or click the graphic for more details.

The Long Beach Budget Priority Survey is available online at longbeach.gov/FY27 through Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog. Those with limited access to a computer or smart phone may visit a public computer lab available at any open Long Beach Public Library location to access the survey. Learn more at about the FY27 budget development process at longbeach.gov/FY27.

Long Beach Transit

Carson St. Detour Alert | Effective Jan. 27 - May 15

As construction work on Carson St. began this week, transit users should expect impacts to nearby Long Beach Transit (LBT) service throughout the duration of the project. There will be intermittent detours and bus stop closures on Routes 101 and 103, effective as of Tuesday, Jan. 27 through Friday, May 15. Plan your trip by contacting LBT’s Customer Care team at (562) 591 2301, downloading your transit app of choice, or visiting ridelbt.com.

February Service Change | Effective Feb. 1

LBT conducts three annual service changes in February, June, and August, to enhance the efficiency and punctuality of bus schedules. The upcoming February service change is scheduled to take effect on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, and will encompass various adjustments to bus schedules and stops across different routes. For a full summary of changes and maps, visit ridelbt.com/servicechange.

District 5 Office

CD5 Community Meeting Recap

Thank you to all who came out to attend yesterday’s CD5 Community Meeting at Wardlow Park. We had a great turnout and informative discussion, as we heard Police Department updates from LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish. Topics ranged from crime rates (burglaries and shootings have decreased), to road safety and traffic enforcement, to staffing challenges. While the department continues to work towards filling staffing vacancies, Chief Hebeish is hopeful for the department’s strong future, particularly after celebrating yesterday’s promotion ceremony, during which 40 members of the LBPD were recognized for their promotion to new roles; as well as the recent onset of Police Academy Class 100, the largest class of recruits in LBPD history, training at the new state of the art facility. 


Thanks again to Chief Hebeish and his team for joining us and speaking directly with our community! Looking ahead, save the date for next month’s meeting, being held on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 6pm at the Expo Arts Center, where we will be joined by Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan, as well as the Community Crisis Response (CCR) Team. We hope to see you there!

Welcoming Our New Public Service Fellows!

This month, the District 5 Team has welcomed two new Public Service Fellows, Hailey and Braeden, to support our office and gain experience in the field of local government and public service. These fellows are part of the third cohort of the Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network (LBWIN)’s Public Service Fellowship Program, which allows current or recently graduated students from local colleges to gain valuable hands-on experience across a variety of city departments.

Hailey is a recent CSULB graduate, having earned her BA in Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies. A North Long Beach native, Hailey enjoys frequenting local coffee shops and thrift stores, working on creative activities like coloring and journaling, and listening to music. Braeden is currently a senior at CSULB, graduating in May with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Legal Studies. He has lived in Long Beach for five years, and plans to attend law school in pursuit of a career in employment law. Braeden, too, is passionate about music, and enjoys reading, particularly on topics around politics and cultural commentary.

Both Hailey and Braeden are excited and eager to learn more about our communities and serve the needs of the Fifth District! Join us in welcoming them to the CD5 Team, and be sure to stop by our table at local events and meetings to say hello!

Economic Development & Opportunity Dept.

Amazon Fresh Closure

This week, Amazon announced its decision to close all of its grocery retail stores (Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh) throughout the country to focus on their grocery delivery services. Impending closures do include the Amazon Fresh location on Spring St. here in District 5.

In compliance with CA regulations that require a minimum 45-day window to give appropriate notice to the public and to support employee placement, Amazon has submitted notice to the city of their intention to fully close the Spring St. location effective March 13, 2026.

We understand the challenges that vacant lots and storefronts can bring to a neighborhood, in addition to the impacts for residents maintaining reliable access to groceries. Our office is engaged in proactive conversations with the Community Development and Economic Development departments as we figure out what may be next for the space, and how the site will be managed and cared for until then. As updates arise, we will continue to share information with community via newsletter notices such as this one. 

New Ownership at LBX

District 5’s local outdoor shopping and dining complex, the Long Beach Exchange (LBX), was recently purchased by private real estate investment trust, Edens. The DC-based company has been around for more than 50 years, and owns and manages 100 properties around the country. I met with them earlier this week as they discussed their future with the city, and while they do not intend to change much about LBX, they are full of ideas and excitement for future growth and offerings, as they maintain their goal of “enriching community through human engagement.” Join me in welcoming Edens to LBX, District 5, and the Long Beach community! 

Energy & Environmental Services Dept.

Blue Recycling Bins | Exchange Rollout Begins Next Week

Starting next week, all residents with City-serviced trash and organics service will have their existing purple recycling cart exchanged for a blue recycling cart. The exchange will occur on your regularly scheduled service day. Simply set out your recycling as normal, and after the recycling truck empties the existing purple cart, the contractor will collect the purple cart and replace it with a blue cart. 


Please note, this process is expected to take approx. 6 – 8 months to exchange all carts citywide. As the rollout begins, residents can visit the city’s website to find answers to FAQs and to view an embedded mapping tool provided by the contractor that allows you to search your address and identify your tentative exchange date.

Health & Human Services Dept.

Community Crisis Response Team

The Community Crisis Response (CCR) team is a team of specialized, non-law-enforcement personnel that responds to non-medical, non-violent calls for service that are focused on behavioral health and quality of life challenges. The team includes a Crisis Intervention Specialist (Mental Health Professional) and a Health Responder (Public Health Nurse).

The CCR launched in July 2023, originally responding to calls only within West and South Long Beach. Now, the CRR responds to calls citywide Mondays – Fridays from 10am – 5pm. When community members call the Emergency Communication Center (9-1-1 or the LBPD Non-Emergency Line) for service regarding mental health crises, suicidal individuals, public intoxications, welfare checks, or disturbances, the dispatchers will determine which response is appropriate, whether PD, FD, or CCR. If the call meets CCR criteria, they will be dispatched and can provide crisis intervention support, de-escalation for individuals, general health education, suicide risk assessment and intervention, basic needs supplies, resource navigation, and transportation assistance. If the call is an emergency, otherwise not eligible for CCR, or the CCR team is unavailable, dispatch will send another public safety resource from PD or Fire as needed. Learn more when they join us at the next CD5 Meeting at the Expo Arts Center on Feb. 26!

Cal State University, Long Beach

Loren J. Blanchard Named Next president of CSULB

Earlier this week, the Cal State University Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Loren J. Blanchard as the next president of Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB). Blanchard has been serving as president of the University of Houston-Downtown for the last five years, where he has led the university with strategic planning, inclusivity, and a commitment to student success. He has prior experience here in California, having served as the CSU’s executive vice chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs, in addition to other leadership positions at universities in Louisiana. Mr. Blanchard will assume the presidency on May 1, 2026, succeeding Andrew Jones, who has served as acting president since Jane Close Conoley’s recent retirement. Join me in congratulating Mr. Blanchard on his appointment and welcoming him to his new role in Long Beach!

Office of Sustainability

Request a Free Parkway Tree!

As you may recall, per my request in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget, the city has allocated funding in support of prioritizing increased tree plantings in CD5 neighborhoods near the airport. As with the trees recently planted in Cal Heights, we are now seeing some of those plantings occurring in our neighborhoods! Planting trees contributes to our urban canopy, which helps keep communities cooler and mitigate air quality concerns.

Have an empty space in your parkway that could benefit from a city tree? Reach out to the Office of Sustainability’s Tree Planting Team at TreeRequest@longbeach.gov or (562) 570 7483. Choose a tree from the approved list or let the team help select what species might fit best on your street. Visit the Tree Planting Program webpage to learn more and request your free tree today!